Located to the west of Dublin in County Kildare is Castlekeely House – a country house that was first constructed in the early 1800s. The property once served as a working farm and cattle station for the county, and was also used as a filming location for a television series, The Irish R.M., in the 1980s.
 
Surrounded by outbuildings, paddocks, mature gardens and woodlands across a two-acre site, the four-bedroom house boasts three bathrooms, an entrance porch, entrance hallway, inner rear hall, country kitchen and spacious sitting room.
 
Redecorating an old house is no easy job, but the team at Tommy Daly Painting Ltd was brought on board to renovate the beautiful listed building. With the aim of modernising the house while ensuring that almost all of its original features were retained, the team got to work using Johnstone’s Trade paints.
 
A new lease of life
Throughout the building, Tommy Daly Painting Ltd used Johnstone’s Trade Covaplus Vinyl Matt – a high quality matt emulsion that provides excellent opacity, coverage and application for interior walls and ceilings. A carefully selected colour scheme was used to enhance the home’s period features and antique furniture, with the ceilings painted white, while creams and green shades were used on the walls to bring a feeling of warmth. In some rooms, a bold yellow was also used to add a striking splash of colour against the more natural shades. 
 
To transform the woodwork within the home, the team of painters and decorators used Johnstone’s Trade Aqua Water Based Satin. The innovative paint offers all of the benefits of a water-based paint – including low VOC levels, low odour and quick drying times – but also provides the high sheen levels and excellent durability of a solvent-based solution. 
 
“Before we even started the project, we knew it was going to be rewarding,” explains Keith Dalton, Contractor at Tommy Daly Painting Ltd. “Castlekeely House is a building packed with history, and it just needed a bit of love and attention to help bring it back to life. Our team has used high-quality coatings from Johnstone’s Trade to deliver a great finish, and the builders and client are both over the moon with the final result – and so are we!”
 
Award-winning results
Tommy Daly Painting Ltd played a crucial role in giving the period building a new lease of life, creating a modern family home while maintaining its original features. The exemplary work was recognised by a discerning panel of judges recently, with the County Westmeath-based company winning the Residential category title at the Johnstone’s Painter of the Year Awards 2019.
 
Gavin Lee, Trade Sales and Operations Manager at PPG, commented: “The team at Tommy Daly Painting have done a fantastic job on this project. The beautiful property is now a comfortable family home suitable for modern life, but it hasn’t lost any of its wonderful history thanks to the careful renovation that the team carried out – they are very worthy winners of the award.”