Greenford · UB6
Painters and decorators in Greenford
Painters and decorators for Greenford, UB6: mainly 1930s semis and terraces, with the canal, Horsenden Hill and Ravenor Park close by.
How Greenford was built
Greenford was farmland and a scatter of hamlets until the twentieth century. Industry arrived first, including the J. Lyons food works on land bought from 1921, and the new Western Avenue and railway links brought large-scale housebuilding in the 1920s and 1930s. The result is a town of semis and short terraces, with post-war flats and later infill. Greenford is usually described in three parts, North Greenford, Greenford Green and Greenford Broadway, with the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal running through.
Decorating a 1930s semi
Interwar houses are simpler to decorate than Victorian ones in some ways: ceilings are lower, rooms squarer and most walls are sound plaster. They have their own quirks. Many have textured ceilings, and textured coatings applied before the 1990s can contain asbestos, so they are painted over rather than sanded unless tested. Picture rails, glazed internal doors and bay windows add woodwork time.
Outside, pebbledash or render on the upper storey is common. It needs a thorough wash, repairs to cracks and a masonry paint suited to rough surfaces. As an example, a two-storey front elevation typically comes to £1,890–£3,580, excluding scaffolding. Read more on our exterior painting page.
Gardens, fences and access
Most Greenford houses have front and back gardens, and many have driveways, so parking is rarely the obstacle it is in central Ealing, though we still ask about it up front. Garden fences, sheds and gates weather quickly and are a sensible add-on to an exterior job; see fence painting. For a price on any of it, use the Instant Quote and add photos.
Neighbourhoods
Around Greenford
North Greenford
North Greenford is the part of UB6 around Greenford Road and Whitton Avenue, towards Sudbury and Northolt, largely laid out as interwar suburban streets. Many of its semis now have extensions and loft rooms, so older and newer plaster often meet in the same house.
Greenford Broadway
The Broadway is Greenford's main shopping area in the south of the town, with flats above shops and streets of 1930s houses behind. Nearby stands Holy Cross, the old parish church, dating from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century.
Greenford Green
Greenford Green is one of Greenford's three traditional localities, close to the canal. It is where William Perkin set up his works in the 1850s to make mauveine, the first synthetic aniline dye, marked today by a blue plaque on Oldfield Lane North.
Ravenor Park
Ravenor Park is a park laid out on former farmland and home to the annual Greenford Carnival. The streets around it are mainly interwar semis with front gardens and bay windows, typical candidates for a front elevation and window repaint.
Horsenden
Horsenden Hill, 85 m high, rises between Greenford and Perivale with the canal at its foot. Some houses on the surrounding streets sit on sloping plots, where ladders and towers need careful footing for exterior work.
Questions about Greenford
Can you paint over an Artex ceiling?
Yes. Textured ceilings are cleaned, cracks are filled and the surface is painted with a suitable emulsion. Older textured coatings can contain asbestos, so they are not sanded or scraped unless a test shows they are safe.
What paint is best on pebbledash?
A good-quality masonry paint that is breathable and flexible enough for rough surfaces, applied after washing and repairs. Rough textures take noticeably more paint per m² than smooth render, which the quote allows for.
Can a fence be painted at the same time as the house?
Yes, and it often makes sense while ladders and dust sheets are already set up. Include the rough length and height of the fence when you ask for a price.
Painting in Greenford? See your price now
Describe the work, add photos if you have them, and see an indicative range straight away. A decorator then reviews everything and confirms a fixed quotation.