20 Rooms are Redecorated Each Minute of Every Day in Britain

MANCHESTER, England, September 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

It turns out us Brits are a house proud bunch, with new research revealing 20 rooms are decorated every minute in the UK, and almost a third (28 per cent) of homeowners redecorate at least once every two years.

First impressions count and curb appeal is key, with more than half (53 per cent) of homeowners saying they would hire a decorator to paint the exterior of the house, as well as the stairs, hallway and landing, and four in ten (41 per cent) would choose a professional painter to ensure their exterior woodwork is in tip top condition.

The Ultimate Professional Report also showed that when it comes to using a decorator to improve the appearance of a home, money isn't an issue, with 20 per cent more respondents choosing quality over cost as being "extremely important", and a further 13 per cent preferring their decorators to pay attention to detail than charge less.  

It appears men are more concerned about extra value though, with four per cent more men than women wanting their decorator to help with odd jobs around the house, such as taking in parcels.

The results come from the Ultimate Professional Report by leading paint manufacturer Dulux Trade, which questioned the decorating habits of 3,000 homeowners across the UK, to launch its annual competition to find the UK's Ultimate Professional Decorator.

The report also showed that when it comes to our houses, Brits are extremely security-conscious, with 40 per cent more homeowners preferring their decorators to be more trustworthy than experienced, and over half (57 per cent) stating it was "extremely important" that they felt comfortable with the decorator in their home.

Britain is also a decisive nation, with only 13 per cent of respondents rating advice on paints, colours and finishes as important.

Samantha Balloch, Marketing Manager for Dulux Trade, commented: "It's not surprising that homeowners want to keep their properties looking as fresh as possible, especially as the housing market begins to pick up again. It makes sense that many call in the professionals to carry out work on the exterior of a house and the hallways, as these are the areas guests and visitors see first, and can be quite tricky to decorate, especially when reaching the higher areas.

"It's also understandable that trustworthiness is important, when you think that decorators quite often get left to their own devices while their customers are out working or running errands."

Notes to editors: 

AkzoNobel is a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals. We supply industries and consumers worldwide with innovative products and are passionate about developing sustainable answers for our customers. Our portfolio includes well-known brands such as Dulux, Sikkens, International and Eka. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, we are consistently ranked as one of the leaders in the area of sustainability. With operations in more than 80 countries, our 50,000 people around the world are committed to delivering leading products and technologies to meet the growing demands of our fast-changing world.