Painting and Decorating in Lewisham and Forest Hill
Professional painting and decorating in Lewisham and Forest Hill SE23 and SE13. Large Edwardian semis, conservation areas, period property renovation, and landlord work in south-east London's most underrated property market.
Painting and Decorating in Lewisham and Forest Hill: A Professional Guide
Lewisham and Forest Hill do not attract the same level of press attention as their neighbours Herne Hill and Dulwich, but they contain some of south-east London's most substantial Edwardian housing, and the property market has evolved considerably in the last decade. Forest Hill in particular — with its large semis, the Horniman Museum, and good overground connections — is now firmly on the radar of buyers seeking space and period quality at prices below Dulwich.
SE23 and SE13 together offer a painting and decorating contractor a wide range of work: full Edwardian renovation at the upper end, through to landlord redecoration across the substantial buy-to-let market in the Lewisham town centre area.
Forest Hill and the SE23 Edwardian Market
Large Edwardian Semis
The Edwardian semis that line the roads around Devonshire Road, Sunderland Road, and the streets climbing toward Honor Oak represent some of the best value for square footage in inner south-east London. These are large properties: typically four or five bedrooms, bay-fronted, with generous entrance halls, large reception rooms, and gardens back and front.
Decorating an Edwardian semi in Forest Hill involves considerations specific to the period and construction:
Edwardian woodwork character. Edwardian joinery is different from Victorian. The skirtings are often slightly shallower, the architraves simpler, and there is frequently a picture rail on every room as standard. The doors tend to be four-panelled rather than the six-panel Victorian type. These differences inform the preparation and painting approach. We typically use Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell or Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell on all woodwork, applied after thorough preparation: sanding, filling, priming any bare areas with Zinsser BIN, and checking for excessive paint build-up before starting.
Large wall areas. The generous proportions of Edwardian Forest Hill semis mean significant areas of wall. We use airless spray equipment for walls and ceilings in large rooms to achieve a perfectly even finish, particularly on smooth Edwardian-era plaster that shows every roller stroke. Spray application with a fine-finish tip and careful backrolling gives a level surface that is difficult to achieve with a standard roller alone.
Exterior character. The exterior of a Forest Hill Edwardian semi typically combines red brick with rendered and pebble-dashed bays, large timber casement windows, and a projecting bay at ground and first floor. Each material requires specific treatment: brick may need repointing before any sealing; render and pebbledash need a flexible masonry paint (Dulux Trade Weathershield Smooth or Textured depending on the existing finish); windows need careful preparation and an exterior eggshell or gloss.
Conservation Areas in SE23
Forest Hill has conservation area designations covering parts of the Devonshire Road and Honor Oak areas. Lewisham Council's planning team applies the standard conservation controls:
- External colour changes may require prior approval
- Replacement of original windows with non-timber alternatives is generally refused within the conservation area
- Painting previously unpainted brick requires planning consent
We advise all clients on the applicable controls before starting external work and can liaise with Lewisham's planning team where consent is needed.
Lewisham Town Centre and SE13
Mixed Property Types
Lewisham town centre and the surrounding streets are a mix of post-war housing stock, surviving Victorian and Edwardian terraces, and a significant number of new-build developments that have appeared as the area has been regenerated. The decorating work reflects this diversity.
Victorian terraces around Hither Green and Ladywell. The streets between Lewisham High Street and Hither Green Lane contain concentrations of well-preserved Victorian terraces, now popular with first-time buyers. Decoration work here parallels the SE15 and SE22 markets: first-time buyer renovations, void-period landlord work, and the occasional comprehensive period restoration.
Post-war and inter-war properties. Lewisham has significant numbers of inter-war semi-detacheds on the wider streets toward Catford. These properties have different requirements from Victorian and Edwardian stock: exterior rendering or painted brick (rather than London stock brick with stucco detailing), metal casement windows rather than timber sashes, and interior surfaces that have typically been renovated more recently and need less stripping.
New-build developments. Lewisham's regeneration has produced several large residential developments, particularly around the town centre. Apartment owners in these developments follow the same pattern as elsewhere in inner south-east London: upgrading from builder-spec white, installing colour schemes in line with their aesthetic preferences, and seeking a quality of finish that the original developer's decorator did not provide.
Sash and Casement Window Painting in SE13 and SE23
The division between the sash window Edwardian streets of Forest Hill and the metal or uPVC-windowed post-war properties elsewhere in Lewisham is sharp. Where original timber sash windows survive, we prioritise their restoration.
For timber sash windows, our process: remove the sashes where practical; repair any soft or rotten timber with Ronseal High Performance Wood Filler or a two-part epoxy filler; replace failed putty with a flexible putty product; sand and key the whole frame; prime bare timber with Zinsser BIN; apply two coats of Sikkens Cetol HLSe or a quality exterior eggshell to the external faces; apply two coats of interior eggshell internally.
For original Crittall or steel casement windows, which appear in some of Lewisham's 1920s and 1930s properties, we use a specialist metal primer and an appropriate enamel finish.
Landlord Work Across Lewisham
Lewisham has a substantial buy-to-let sector, particularly around the town centre and the transport corridors leading toward London Bridge. We provide:
- Void-period redecorations, completed within agreed timescales to minimise void rental income loss
- End-of-tenancy dilapidations work, including matching and patching where full redecoration is not required
- New-tenancy upgrades, where landlords want to improve the specification of a property to attract higher-quality tenants at higher rents
Standard void-period specification: Dulux Trade Durable Matt in Magnolia or Jasmine White on walls, Dulux Trade Diamond Satinwood on woodwork. We adapt specifications to the property age and market.
Get in Touch for Lewisham and Forest Hill Painting
From Edwardian semis in Forest Hill to buy-to-let flats in Lewisham town centre, we cover SE13 and SE23 professionally and promptly. Request a free quote or contact us directly to arrange a site visit.