Episodes
Joel Bardall & Todd Von Joel catch up with Benjamin Ruffett, a decorator that joined us to talk about his van break in and tool theft experience a year ago. Last year, Ben said that he would have to shut down his business and go and work for a firm as a result of what happened, so we've invited him back onto the show to find out how the following 12 months unfolded for him. Nathan Carter, a Decorator from Leyland, Lancashire shares his recent van theft experience and talks about the reprecussions of this for his business
Mural artist Eloisa Henderson-Figueroa joins Joel Bardall and Todd Von Joel in the studio to discuss how bright colours and shapes can transform just about any space (even horrid toilets)
Joel Bardall and Todd Von Joel talk to Marc Silver & Dave Nash from Murwalls about the work they've done for football clubs and celebrities
Joel Bardall and Todd Von Joel ask if it's okay to do certain business practices as a painter & decorator. From working out of a car rather than a van to covering in one coat and much more.
Joel and Todd talk about keeping fit and ask decorators what kind of exercise they do away from the trade. Todd talks about how boxing has helped him physically and mentally, Dulux Select Decorator Sean Kelly talks about cycling, Decorator & Plasterer Peter Whiter talks about the gym and gives some tips around stretching and Jen Gardner also joins us to talk about the injuries that are causing her issues on the tools
Alex Woodward, the drummer from Indie band Black Honey returns to talk more about his experiences decorating, the famous people he's met and shows he's played with the band and some of the paints he's used so far. Alex also talks about his musical influences and ask Joel and Todd some questions about the trade
Alex Woodward is the drummer from UK based Indie Rock band Black Honey and got in touch with the show after getting into decorating. Joel and Todd ask Alex about his decorating experiences so far, the success he's had with Black Honey and what lockdown was like as a touring musician
Joel and Todd look into why paints and products have increased in price while the quality in certain paints has also dropped. Bryan Dennett joins us to share his experience as a decorator and Neil Ogilvie, Painting & Decorating Association CEO joins us to explain what exactly is causing these issues and whether we can do anything about it
With a new adademic year just around the corner and a whole new set of first year decorating students joining colleges across the UK, Joel and Todd reflect on their route into the trade and how their careers progressed into adulthood
Joel and Todd talk to John Bugden about his decorating content and journey on social media. John gives some advice for anyone stuck on followers that wants to get to that next level
Joel and Todd are joined by Adam Bell to talk about how to get an idea for a product off the ground and into reality. Adam noticed that his workwear wasn't suitable for working as a decorator so decided to create some suitable alternatives. Adam talks about how to create a product and get it manufactuered and how he's done this while also working as a decorator. Joel and Todd also talk about the weather and what it's meant for decorators and their work this summer
We've asked the public - Is Decorating boring? Would you like to be a decorator? What is more boring than watching paint dry? Joel and Todd go through the reponses we've received from the public and other trades
James Housman, A decorator from Cornwall was finishing a five minute job when something happened that would trigger emergency surgery and two weeks off of work. Joel and Todd ask him how this happened and James walks them through his experience and how you can avoid the same thing happening to you
Joel and Todd have picked out some of their favourite texts from customers that have been shared online by other decorators. They access each one and talk about where the customer is going wrong as well as what they would do in each situation
Joel and Todd are joined by Ian Howie, a heritage/restoration decorator from Scotland to talk about his most memorable job as someone that works in castles and listed buildings. Jason Savage from Novitas Decorating also shares his most memorable job and talks about the steps needed to complete it
Joel and Todd talk about whether a four day week could work for them and the trade as a whole as well as how they approach taking time off as sole traders
Regular listeners will know that Todd Von Joel has recently been told he's got high cholesterol... but what are you supposed to do about it? and how much time do tradespeople have to prep their meals? Karen Harrison, a nutritionist, joins us to give some tips on how tradespeople can eat heathier and what to do to combat high cholesterol
Joel and Todd talk about what the past few weeks have been like as we head into summer with heat waves and thunderstorms already hitting worksites across the UK. Gareth Roberts from North Wales joins us to explain why he never takes on exterior work in his part of the country and Dulux Select Decorator Sean Kelly talks about what it's been like working on exteriors so far this summer. Joel and Todd also talk about their own experiences working on exteriors, give some tips on how to avoid working in sunlight and dealing with the impact the weather can have on your finish
Joel and Todd talk about how technology has already changed the trade and also how it might change the way you work as a decorator going forward. Jon Mears talks about using AI to create content for your website and social media, Joel talks about his hopes for AI taking over the invoicing process and Joel and Todd touch on exo suits and robots
Joel and Todd are joined by Chris Ordinaire, Jen the Decorator and Mark Nash to discuss the rules they follow when decorating and whether there are some rules just not open for debate when it comes to decorating in a professional manner. Chris talks from his perspective as a traditional decorator with 40 years experience, Jen talks about prep and running a business and Mark Nash talks about the rules he needs to follow to achieve a high end hand painted finish for kitchens and furniture
Joel and Todd Von Joel wrap up the second part of their shows covering some common questions asked online by decorators. On this part they cover logistics, customer requests, the morality of markups on materials and more
Joel and Todd go through some common questions asked online and to themselves from decorators about a range of topics from fillers, dust sheets and paints to booking in work, the environment and longevity on the brushes
Joel and Todd talk about all the pressures that come with being a Decorator and Tradesperson. Everything from worrying about your physical health, battling mental health, worrying about money and keeping money to one side and more
Joel Bardall and Todd Von Joel about how you can offer customers value for money. Many customers think this means doing the cheapest job possible but Joel and Todd discuss how you can explain the value of the materials and the quality of the finish, how to explain false economies and making sure your customer values your opinion
Joel and Todd are joined by two decorators who have extensive experience teaching the trade to talk about what they believe is the difference between an okay decorator and a top class one. They also talk to Callum, who has not long left college and now takes on apprentices to find out what colleges instill in students and what he looks for in an apprentice
Bryan Dennett, a third generation decorator with more than 40 years experience in the trade talks about how to be selective with your work and picking jobs that are right for you and your business
Working for friends and family as a professional decorator can be tricky. Do they understand how much prep and money goes into each job? How much work are you prepared to do for free or 'mates rates'? Can you get away with charging full price and what if they're not happy with the finish? Joel and TVJ discuss all of this and also call up friend of the show Jo, from Decor by Jo in Bristol to get her thoughts on this
Joel Bardall and Todd Von Joel are joined one more time by James Reeve to talk in more detail about his experiences running a limited company. James talks about employees and finding good decorators to bring into the business. He also touches on memorable jobs, clients, spraying and more
James Reeve who runs a limited company, Royal Spa Decoration, joins Joel Bardall and Todd Von Joel to share his mental health journey after a workplace accident caused him to come off the tools for a period of time. James talks about becoming an ambassador for mental health charity Mind in Coventry & Warwickshire. James also talks about getting started in decorating and setting up a limited company instead of operating as a sole trader
Gareth Roberts from Top Coat Decorating in Wales joins us again to talk about mental health and raising awareness of mental health. Joel, Todd and Gareth talk about why men don't have honest discussions with one another and Joel shares a story from the end of last year around the topic too