Neil Braidwood | Decorating Matters

Photograph of a homeless person being helped by staff at St Mungo's

Posted on 2 December 2024

Helping the homeless

AkzoNobel and Leyland SDM partner to support St Mungo’s in fight against homelessness. AkzoNobel, manufacturer of Dulux Trade and Dulux Heritage is proud to announce a special cause-related promotion in…

Photographs of the winners of the 2024 Purdy Mentors of the Year Award

Posted on 25 November 2024

Purdy announces winners of Mentor of the Year 2024

During the competition’s first official awards ceremony at the P&D Show in Coventry in November, Simon Whitaker from Accrington and Rossendale College was crowned College Lecturer Mentor of the Year,…

Interior of a railway carriage refurbished as a school cafe.

Posted on 15 November 2024

Valspar Trade supports train carriage refurbishment

As part of a pioneering project to transform an old train carriage into a functional teaching space and coffee shop for Five Acre Wood School, a complete remodelling of the…

Photograph of a wall of Crown paint samples at Material Source in Glasgow.

Posted on 14 November 2024

Interiors resource in Glasgow

Neil Braidwood travels to Material Source, an innovative shop window of interior products designed to inspire. Everyone needs inspiration. Even if you are just slapping magnolia on a stairwell wall,…

An image of a historic property after being repainted using Johnstone's paints

Posted on 12 November 2024

Residence gets a refresh with Johnstone’s Trade Sol Silicate Masonry

As a Grade II listed building that hadn’t been decorated for 14 years, The Old Rectory near Honiton was desperately overdue a restoration – particularly on the weathered exterior. The…

Two people with an old English sheepdog in the middle of them. Some tins of paint on shelves behind them

Posted on 29 October 2024

Dulux celebrates milestone with Community RePaint

Thirty years on and millions of gallons of paint saved from landfill. Dulux is proud to celebrate a significant milestone in its 30-year partnership with Community RePaint. Since the initiative’s…

Photograph of decorator Sarah Hughes wearing ProDec painting trousers.

Posted on 3 October 2024

The future of workwear

Decorating Matters Editor Neil Braidwood discovers that workwear is changing with the times. Why do painters and decorators wear white? The tradition dates back to the 19th century when painters…

Dudhope Young People’s Inpatient Unit, Tayside, after renovation.

Posted on 24 September 2024

GORI Professional brings new life to NHS facility

Scottish firm I&K Decorators renovated the wooden cladding on this tired facade using GORI Professional 88. Set on a sloping, wooded parkland site with views over the River Tay, the…

Picture of a D. McDonald Decorators van.

Posted on 18 September 2024

Meet our Members – Donald McDonald

In our regular feature, we find out about members of the Scottish Decorators’ Federation. This time it’s Donald McDonald, from D McDonald Decorators Ltd. What’s your background? I did my…

An illustration of the ocean liner, the Queen Mary from 1936.

Posted on 10 September 2024

Painting the Queen Mary ocean liner

A manuscript from the 1930s, recently unearthed by the author’s son, provides a fascinating insight into the detailed decoration of one of the world’s first ‘express’ transatlantic passenger ships.