Decorating a 1970s or 80s family house
Council Tax data puts the middle of St Ives' housing in the 1973 to 1982 band, when 1,900 of its properties were built. Walls from that period are mostly sound, but ceilings may carry textured coatings and woodwork can have decades of gloss layered on it. We key old gloss before repainting so the new coat grips, and suggest satin or eggshell if you'd like a softer sheen.
Where a textured ceiling needs to go, our plasterers can skim it smooth before we paint, all under one quotation.
Rented homes in St Ives
About 1,600 St Ives households rented privately in 2021, more than one in five. A landlord usually wants a quick, durable refresh between tenants: fixings filled, marks stain-blocked with Zinsser, and walls in a washable matt such as Little Greene Intelligent Matt Emulsion. We can also work room by room around tenants who are staying put.
St Ives at a glance
- 18 milesby road from our Landbeach base, about 24 minutesOSRM routing
- 7,522householdsCensus 2021
- 67%of homes are owner-occupiedCensus 2021
- 21%of homes are privately rentedCensus 2021
- 7%of properties were built before 1919VOA Council Tax stock
- 14%are flatsCensus 2021
How we approach interior decorating
In a typical St Ives semi we cover floors and furniture, wash down walls, fill cracks and nail holes, and sand with Mirka dust-free sanders. Ceilings come first, then walls, then woodwork. Tester pots go up in a few places around the room so you can judge colours in morning and evening light, and we tidy up every evening. The full method, products and FAQs are on our interior decorating page.