Preserving History: MPD Decorating at St Peter’s Church, Hever
Some decorating projects are about more than making a space look fresh. When MPD Decorating was appointed to carry out specialist painting and decorating works at St Peter’s Church in Hever, the priority was clear: refresh and protect a historic building without compromising what makes it special.
Working in a Listed and Sensitive Environment
St Peter’s Church is a building with genuine character — the kind that takes centuries to accumulate and moments of careless renovation to lose. Working within a listed building means every decision matters, from the products you specify to the way you prepare the surfaces before a brush touches them.
Our team took a methodical approach from the outset. Careful surface preparation is always important, but in heritage environments it’s critical. Older substrates can be fragile, and the wrong preparation method — or the wrong product — can cause lasting damage that’s expensive and difficult to reverse.
Choosing the Right Materials for Historic Buildings
Modern paints are engineered for modern buildings. They’re often vapour-resistant, which works well in airtight contemporary construction but can be actively harmful in older buildings that need to breathe. Trapped moisture has nowhere to go and eventually causes the very damage the paint was supposed to prevent.
For St Peter’s, we specified materials appropriate for the age and construction of the building — breathable finishes that allow moisture to move naturally through the fabric of the walls while still providing long-term protection and a finish in keeping with the traditional interior.
Heritage and Church Painting Across Surrey and Kent
MPD Decorating has experience working on heritage properties, listed buildings, and churches, where the brief goes beyond aesthetics. Getting it right requires an understanding of how older buildings behave, which materials are compatible with historic substrates, and how to deliver high-quality results in sensitive environments without disruption.
If you’re responsible for the maintenance or refurbishment of a historic building, church, or listed property, we’d welcome the opportunity to discuss your project.
