Co. Kilkenny · Under an hour from Waterford · Painting and decorating since 2006
Painters in Kilkenny, Co. Kilkenny
Kilkenny is under an hour from our base and it is the kind of work we like: older buildings that reward doing things properly. We are painters and decorators, not a franchise - the same crew that surveys your house paints it. Interior decorating, exterior render, timber windows and doors, bathroom renovations, and the preparation that decides whether any of it lasts.
Period property is a different job, and the rules are different too
A lot of what we paint in Kilkenny is a solid-wall building: lime render or plaster over stone, timber sash windows, no cavity and no membrane. A wall like that has to dry outwards. Put a modern plastic-feel masonry paint on it and you trap the moisture inside, and within a few winters it shows up as blown render outside and damp patches on the inside face. The fix is not a stronger paint. It is a breathable one, over honest preparation.
There is a second thing owners are often surprised by. Kilkenny city and thirteen towns and villages across the county - Thomastown, Inistioge, Graiguenamanagh, Callan, Bennettsbridge and the rest - sit in Architectural Conservation Areas. Inside an ACA, external work that affects the character of the area is not exempted development, which means it can need planning permission even when the same job elsewhere would not. Swapping timber sash windows for uPVC is the example the county's own development plan gives.
We are painters, not your planning consultant, so we will not tell you what you may or may not do - check with the council or your architect first. What we will do is work to whatever is approved, and steer you towards repair rather than replacement where the original is sound, because that is usually both cheaper and the version that gets through.
What we do in Kilkenny
Render, masonry, gates and railings, using breathable systems on solid walls.
Power washing and exterior cleaning
Driveways, patios, roofs and gutters. Soft-wash on anything older or fragile.
Interior painting and decorating
Walls, ceilings, woodwork and wallpapering. Furniture covered and floors sheeted, cleaned up every evening.
After-builders and end-of-tenancy cleaning
Deep cleans and odour removal, planned around your dates.
Full fit-outs by one team, including in houses where the floor is not level and nothing is a standard size.
Restoration and repainting of timber sashes and front doors, plus supply and fitting in timber, uPVC and composite where replacement is the right call.
Original joinery, shutters and cornicing we repair and repaint rather than rip out where they are sound. It is usually the cheaper option, and in a period house it is the one that keeps the value.
Bathroom renovations, start to finish
Bathrooms are the other half of our work, and in an older Kilkenny house the bathroom is usually where the age shows most. Nothing is a standard size, walls are out of plumb, floors fall towards the window, and the last refit was often done on top of the one before it. We strip back to the structure, level what needs levelling, and tank the walls and floor before a single tile goes on. The waterproofing is the part you never see, and it is the part that decides whether the room lasts.
One team does the lot: strip-out, plumbing fixtures, tiling, sanitaryware, lighting, and the painting and decorating at the end. You are not chasing four trades with a week's gap between each, and you get one fixed written price for the whole room before we start.
If the rest of the house needs painting too, we plan it as one job - the bathroom first, the decorating after, one crew and one start date.
Our work
A recent bathroom renovation from start to finish - the room as we found it, the walls tanked, and the finished job.
Before - dated tiles, pedestal basin and a tired shower enclosure.
During - stripped to the walls, tanked and waterproofed before tiling.
After - floor-to-ceiling marble-effect tiles, new vanity unit and WC.
Before - old shower enclosure with failing seals and grout.
After - new tray, glass enclosure and brushed-gold fittings.
After - wall-hung storage, vanity unit and heated towel rail.
How we price
Every quote is fixed and in writing before we start. We do not publish price lists, because no two period houses are the same - what moves the number is the state of the surface, access at height, and how much preparation the walls and joinery need before a brush touches them. On an older Kilkenny house the preparation is usually the bigger half of the job. We tell you that at the survey, not halfway through. The visit is free and the quote lands within 48 hours, usually sooner.
How we work
1. We come out and look at the job - free, and usually within a few days.
2. You get a written quote with a fixed price and a realistic number of days.
3. We agree a start date and keep it. If weather moves it, you hear from us the day before, not on the morning.
Questions we get asked
Do you work on period and protected properties in Kilkenny?
Yes. We work with breathable systems on solid walls and we repair original joinery where it is sound. One thing to know before you start: inside an Architectural Conservation Area, external work that affects the character of the area is not exempted development, so it can need planning permission. Check with the council or your architect - we work to whatever is approved.
Can you restore timber sash windows instead of replacing them?
In most cases yes. Sound sashes can be repaired, reputtied, draught-sealed and repainted for a fraction of what replacement costs, and in a conservation area that is usually the version that gets approved. If a window really is past saving we will say so.
Do you charge extra to travel to Kilkenny?
No call-out charge. We plan Kilkenny work in blocks rather than single days, so a little flexibility on the start date usually means we can start sooner.
Get a quote for your job in Kilkenny
Call us or send the details of the job and we will come out, measure, and put a fixed price in writing.
We cover Kilkenny city and county - Thomastown, Callan, Bennettsbridge, Inistioge, Graiguenamanagh - and everywhere within 80 km of Waterford. Fully insured, VAT registered, painting and decorating since 2006.
