Messed up in our new kitchen - how can I fix this

[Wollstonecraft1]

Our builder has been a nightmare and everything has either taken ages or been really rushed. Which means that stupidly, without thinking, our kitchen cupboards have gone in without us painting the wall behind it. Now we have a narrow gap along the top that is visible that needs to be painted.

We have also put vertical radiators up onto plastered walls. I do not know how we can physically get to the space above the kitchen units, I suppose we can carefully go around the radiators. Or do we have to attempt to take them down again?

This whole experience has been very stressful and we feel so stupid for not thinking about this first. Would a professional decorator have some tricks and be able to do it?

I painted our kitchen and with a ladder and part standing on worktops was able to paint walls in awkward places with a small brush and lots of stretching!

A ladder will reach the strip at the top. One foot on the ladder, one on the worktop probably.

You will have to get a plumber to remove the radiators so you can paint the wall. Unless you have particularly complex plumbing arrangements most decorators do this as part of the job.

Not really the builders fault.

That's reassuring. I'm so cross at myself for not thinking about it. Even slapping up a magnolia would have been better than this!

I didn't say this was the builder's fault but their lack of scheduling and communication has meant the plastering was done, given a couple of days to dry and then the units went in. No time for discussion/us to paint or even think about it. And actually, I do think a builder who was better at project management would have suggested we took a weekend to paint first.

They don't really sound like insurmountable problems tbh. Not worth getting overly stressed about A long handled brush or mini roller is the way I paint behind radiators or awkward spots. A professional decorator wouldn't blink twice about having to paint around a radiator.

I wallpaper around my radiators so to paint round them wouldn't phase me at all.

It must be pretty normal to repaint a kitchen without removing units. This is just the same! Last couple of times I did it I masked the ceiling and did it standing on worktops with a stepladder where needed. Masking is the trickiest bit.

Tape around any radiator fixings get a thin narrow brush to cut round and a long handled rad roller should do the job.

I agree that it must be pretty normal. But the small gaps that can be seen are out of reach and couldn't even get masking tape up there. I did say to DH this must be surmountable because otherwise no-one could ever change the colour of their kitchen walls. Thanks all.

We have put new kitchens in all our houses and painting was always done last so I don't think your builder has done something very terrible. Neither the radiators or kitchen units should be a problem to paint round/behind. The radiators are easy - they can be isolated and removed. If you are confident you can do this yourself but if you need help then a plumber can do it for you. Or if the builder is still on site - get them to remove the radiators while you paint behind. For the cupboards - you just need a steady hand and a small brush.

Sorry, you are not happy with your builders but don't be too disheartened - there is always a solution. Good luck - I'm sure it will be lovely once it's all done

Not really seeing the issue either.
I don't take the units down every time I paint the kitchen, and suspect no-one else does either.
Same with radiators. If you can't reach behind it then you can't see behind it, so why would it need to be painted.
I'll let you know I didn't dismantle the built in wardrobes to paint behind them when we repainted our bedroom either.

Radiators are pretty easy to remove. Watch a YouTube video

Wilko have these great long handled angled paint brushes for getting into tricky places :)

If there is just a narrow gap along the top can you box in the gap instead?

Radiators are really easy to remove, but make sure you have the process straight in your head first. They are full of black gunk that will stain carpets, clothes, or any other soft fabrics forever if it gets anywhere near them. The first itme I removed one I was a bit amazed at how oil-like the insides were!

If your radiator is solid, you can buy a radiator brush to get behind ithem. If they have gaps in them, then you'll need to take them off really.

Tops of cupboards - I think the best plan would be a cover panel. If the space is so narrow that you can't get your hand in there to paint, it will also be difficult to clean and dust. Putting a cover panel on will look great and sleek and save you one of the worst cleaning jobs -
tops of cupboards! Alternatively, if the gap is larger, can you use masking tape to attach sheets of newspaper to the tops to cover them? And then some of those light dust sheets that come on a roll to sheet up the fronts? A long-handled brush and a ladder and you should be able to do it without wrecking your units.

I do think your builder should have communicated this to you earlier, but I maybe know a bit more about how totally rubbish he has been than others as I'm on the extensions thread! It will be OK, you will find a solution to this!!