Fifteen years on the tools, shared around a workbench.
Practical sessions on paints, materials and methods. Taught with real surfaces, real tools and the reasons behind every step.
Fifteen years of renovating commercial and domestic properties has taught me that most paint failures are decided long before the lid comes off. These sessions pass that on, so you can choose better, prepare better and know when to call someone in.
Property visits cover St Andrews, East Neuk, Fife, Dundee and Angus, subject to travel and availability. Remote consultancy depends on whether your question can reasonably be answered from the information supplied. Payment and cancellation terms are provided with the quotation.
Illustrative teaching scene, not a photograph of a past session.
The specimen board
Seven materials. Seven ways to get it wrong.
A taste of what the sessions cover. Choose a material to see what it is, where it belongs and the mistake I see most often on site.
Specimen 1 of 7 · Traditional mineral
Limewash
Lime plaster
Lime render
Stone
What it is
Lime putty thinned with water and pigmented. It hardens slowly by absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, returning to a form of limestone on the wall.
Where it belongs
Traditional lime plaster and render, stone and older masonry where the wall needs to release moisture freely.
Where it goes wrong
Applied over modern acrylic paint, in hot sun or frost, or in thick coats. It needs several thin coats and the right conditions to cure.
What we practise
Mixing, dampening the surface, applying thin coats and understanding why it looks patchy before it cures.
These notes explain typical uses, not a specification for your property. Product formulations vary. Check the current manufacturer’s technical and safety data, substrate compatibility, preparation, ventilation and drying conditions. Do not sand or disturb suspect lead paint or asbestos. Arrange appropriate assessment first.
The curriculum · published in the open
Six modules. Nothing held back.
The full path from first tin to confident specification, published in the open. Read it in order, do the practical at each stage on a real surface, and come to a session when you want a pair of experienced eyes on your work.
Module 01
Reading a surface
What am I actually painting?
You will be able to
·Tell lime, gypsum, cement and plasterboard apart with a scraper and a bottle of vinegar
·Count and identify existing paint layers
·Spot moisture, salts and movement before they spoil a finish
·Decide when to stop and call a builder instead of a painter
The practical
Scrape and test three surfaces in your own home and write a one line diagnosis for each.
A standing morning around the workbench for anyone who wants to get better at their own decorating. Each month takes one module from the curriculum and works through it with real surfaces, real tools and time for your own questions and photographs.
When
One Saturday morning a month, St Andrews
Length
Three hours
Places
Eight places
Cost
Pay what the morning was worth to you, suggested £45
Included
·All materials, boards and tools for the morning
·A printed one page summary to take home
·Photographs of your own problem walls looked at in the room
·Tea, and a straight answer to whether you should do the job yourself
How it works
1Request a place below and confirm your email.
2We reply personally with the next date, the module and how to pay.
3Places are confirmed in the order requests arrive. If the month is full you go to the front of the next one.
4If you cannot make it, tell us and the place goes to the next person on the list.
Request a place
Tell us what you are working on. We reply personally with the next date. No card details, nothing is charged online.
The sessions
Choose a subject. Or build your own.
Each session is shaped around the people in the room and the buildings they care for. Subjects can be combined, and the content is agreed with you before we meet.
Paint, demystified
What is actually in the tin, why two products with the same finish name behave differently, and how to read a data sheet before you buy.
We cover
Binders, pigments and solvents
Water based and solvent based systems
Matt, eggshell, satin and gloss explained
Primers, undercoats and why they matter
Reading a technical data sheet
You practise
Compare products side by side on real test panels and see how sheen, coverage and drying differ.
Suited to
Homeowners starting their first decorating project and anyone who wants to stop guessing in the paint aisle.
Sessions take place at your property, in a suitable local venue or on your commercial site. Every session is quoted in advance once the subject, group and location are agreed.
One to one at your home
Learn on your own walls and woodwork, with the problems you actually have. Ideal before you start a project yourself.
Small groups
Friends, neighbours or community groups learning together around a workbench, with time for everyone to practise.
Teams and property managers
Practical sessions for maintenance teams, landlords and organisations responsible for commercial or rented buildings.
Not ready for a session?
Start with the free guide library.
Twenty written and narrated guides on preparation, finishes and safer working, freely shared with no account required.
Workshop dates, new modules and the occasional evening talk go to this list first. Tell us what you want to learn and we will shape the next sessions around the answers.
