Taking the hard work out of redecorating

Bill Telford has been a painter and decorator in Bedford starting as an apprentice straight out of school. Strip and Prep was established in 1999, and Bill has been painting and decorating in Bedford ever since.

Whether you’re looking for internal decorating or external decorating, we can help.

Many of our customers come to us on recommendation and much of our business is from repeat customers. We’re proud to be chosen year after year as the decorators of Bedford school.

The painting and decorating we do in and around Bedford is always of the highest standard. Because we’re a small team with almost 90 years’ experience between us we work on one job at a time, until it’s finished.

We always come out to visit you and inspect the areas you would like decorating, and then provide a written, detailed quotation, so you can be clear exactly what will be done.

Our work is meticulous, with lots of care being taken in the preparation as well as the main work of the painting and decorating. We always use dust sheets throughout the areas we are working in and clear up after ourselves every day.

We fix our prices for 3 months after the quotation and will agree a date with you based on our schedule, which we will confirm before we start.

So you get a great painting and decorating job, at a competitive price, delivered by real professionals who have been in the business and painting in Bedford for over 30 years.

Our Process

  • paint brush on charcoal grey

    1. Get a quote

    Email us or call Bill on 07974 398582 to arrange for us to come round and visit.

    After this we will give you a full, written quotation.

  • Interior with yellow chair

    2. Arrange a date

    At the time of the quote we will be able to give you a rough date when we can start your decorating. When that time approaches, we will confirm a start date with you and will arrive on the day we promise and stay until the job is completed.

  • painted wall and ceiling light

    3. Get the best painting & decorating in Bedford!

    Well, we would say that, wouldn’t we? But we’re happy that our customers think so and keep coming back. We thoroughly prepare your walls, ceilings and woodwork, by first filling any gaps, sanding down then preparing with any basecoat, specialist products or lining paper as required. There may be several rounds of preparation to do to ensure you get the best result.

  • dust pan and brush hanging on wall

    4. Spick & Span

    You needn’t worry, we use sanders that collect the dust, minimising the impact to your home. We always use dust sheets inside and out to collect any stray drops and clear up afterwards, and pride ourselves on leaving your home or premises professionally decorated just as you wanted.

  • interior with green colour scheme

    5. Payment

    We only bill after the job unless agreed beforehand (if it’s an especially large job, or requires the purchase of specialist paints, wallpapers or materials). We ask that you pay by bank transfer. Because we’re not VAT registered, the price we quote you is the price you pay.

  • Living room with woman and dog

    6. Sit back & relax!

    Our experienced team mean you’re in good hands and when it comes to painting and decorating you can always tell the difference when you have a professional job done.

FAQs

We’ve compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions to help answer any queries you may have.

If there’s anything else, then please ask! Either when we come to visit, over the phone or email, or when we’re on the job. We’re happy to help.

  • We work on mainly domestic properties of all ages, but we do also work commercial properties as well.

  • No, we’re a small business and not charging VAT means you save 20% on our jobs compared to larger firms.

  • Yes, we will always visit your property and provide a full and detailed written quotation before we start the job. This is valid for 3 months. At the moment, with rising costs, we are not able to guarantee the same price after this time, but are happy to confirm with you.

  • Yes, we pride ourselves on our professional reputation. If we agree a start date with you, the only reason that may change is due to the weather if we have been working on property outsides. We will always keep you informed and will confirm the start date of your job in plenty of time.

  • Yes. Again, because we’re a small firm and our own boss, we do each job at a time, giving it the proper time and consideration.

  • Yes we can! We can also advise you on how much wallpaper will be required, depending on any pattern matching which needs to take place and the roll lengths.

  • Yes, much of our summer work is external work, from full houses to gates, railings, walls and woodwork. We use specialist external masonry paint for render and professional paints that are specific for external woodwork.

  • Our many repeat customers are testament to the fact that people are happy with the standard of our work. However, if there is any element you’re not happy with, please point it out to us while we are on the job and we will correct or amend it to your satisfaction.

  • You certainly can, and we’re happy to make recommendations as some brands are much better quality and will produce a better result. Also, because we buy through the trade, we’re able to use products which are designed to be hardwearing and long lasting – used by professionals rather than enthusiastic DIY-ers. The best thing to do is ask us when we come and visit and we can advise you.

  • Inevitably, it’s a disruption having work done at your property. However, we try to minimise the impact. We make sure we use dust sheets throughout, clear up every day and use sanders that collect dust. If furniture needs moving before we start, we’ll let you know so you can arrange it.

  • These days from a health and safety perspective, we usually recommend scaffolding, especially with larger properties. But we can advise you on our visit. We work with a number of local firms to Bedford that we can recommend to you.

How can I arrange a quotation?

You can fill out this form, email us or call Bill on 07974 398582

  • "Always a pleasure to do business with this firm. Professional, friendly interactions along the entire journey from the initial quotation through quality workmanship to completion."

    Mark Neville

  • "Bill and his team can always be relied on to deliver an excellent standard of craftsmanship, when they say they will, at a reasonable price. We have used them for years on a number of projects and have had no complaints during that time. They are always reliable and professional"

    Sheila Robertson

  • "We just had our living room, hall, stairs and landing walls decorated by Bill and his team. Very smooth getting in contact with them and the communication has always been easy with very fast and precise responses, an aspect that I personally value a lot."

    Michele Bergamelli

  • "Just had some exterior decorating work completed by Bill and his team, and as usual I've had their typically thorough approach to the job. I've known Bill for many years, yet it's always reassuring to know he will always give you his best work, which just happens to be fantastic!"

    David Lambert

Contact us.

To arrange for a quotation, to discuss your home decorating project or find out more about our services, please do get in touch:

bill@telfordbros.co.uk
07974 398582

1 The Old Barn,
Church Road
Wootton
Bedford
MK43 9HF

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