Nearly half of the UK plan on decorating as lockdown boosts the nation’s spending power
Two out of every five (42 per cent) UK households are planning on decorating their homes as lockdown lifts, a survey by Dulux Decorator Centre has discovered.
While the coronavirus outbreak causes financial uncertainty for many, the research also reveals a positive impact for one in five (20 per cent), who reported being financially better off by as much £500 a month as a result of the savings made due to retailers and leisure facilities closing for an extended period.
The findings will provide a welcome boost for the tradespeople who have been hit hard by the pandemic, with fears raised that it could force as many as one in 10 decorators to hang up their paint brushes for good.*
Painting the living room has emerged as the nation’s no.1 post-lockdown decorating priority, with one in four (25 per cent) intending to tackle it first.
One in five (20 per cent) want new carpets, while fifteen per cent intend to give the dining room a fresh coat of paint. Thirteen percent plan on painting the exterior of their homes.
Over one in five (22 per cent) plan on spending between £100 and £500 on decorating projects, while 18 per cent will shell out up to £1,000 and one in 10 (12 per cent) spending as much as £2,500.
As the pandemic puts a pause on many people’s plans, it was also found that a quarter of people (26 per cent) have ditched a planned house move in favour of renovating their current home.
The research forms part of the Backing Our Decorators initiative launched by Dulux Decorator Centre to support decorators as lockdown measures ease. Two thousand members of the public were surveyed.
Lockdown’s impact on the nation’s spending power can be seen with a quarter (27 per cent) of those left better off by lockdown having between £50 and £100 more disposable income a month. A third (30 per cent) report a boost of up to £250 while a further third (29 percent) say they have up to £500 more spare cash per month.
Eating out (30 per cent), holidays (25 per cent) and pub trips (13 per cent) account for the biggest regular outgoings people saved most on during lockdown.
As restriction lifts and the nation gets used to the new normal, the majority (57 per cent) of the public say they are keen to support local tradespeople.
Dulux Decorator Centre Managing Director John Henderson said: “The Coronavirus outbreak has seen our industry face huge challenges and disruption.
“We’ve been supporting decorators for 125 years and as lockdown lifts we want to continue to support the trade in every way we can through the Backing Our Decorators initiative.
“By undertaking this comprehensive research we hope that its positive findings reassures the industry that the public’s appetite to undertake decorating jobs is returning.
“We’ve created a host of resources to support decorators in working safely and we would now encourage homeowners to think about the benefits of using a professional to get their perfect finish and support the trade as normality resumes.”
For more information, visit: duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/blog/decorators-return.
To find a Dulux-approved professional for your next job, visit: duluxselectdecorators.co.uk.
