A Dunoon decorator has been crowned the best in the UK after his work transforming a historic local church into a modern home earned national recognition.
Lee Burns Decorators Ltd was named Supreme Winner at the 42nd annual Johnstones Painter of the Year Awards, after impressing judges and fellow industry professionals with work carried out on the former Matheson Church in Innellan.
Along with the award, he also won a brand-new, sign-written commercial van for his local business.
The project, which also won the Residential category award, saw Lee’s team recognised for the exceptional finish delivered inside the 172-year-old Victorian building.
Professional painters, decorators and specialists from across the UK and Ireland gathered in Glasgow for the prestigious awards ceremony on Saturday, May 16.
Guests at the ceremony voted interactively for their favourite project of the night, and Lee’s work on Matheson Church came out on top.
He said: “I was absolutely blown away with winning the residential category.
That had already been decided before the night by the team of technical specification managers at PPG and Johnstone’s Trade paints.
Then each winner of all the categories went head-to-head at the end of the evening and everyone in the room interactively voted for their favourite job.
I am extremely proud to have been voted by my peers to become the Supreme Winner.”
The ambitious project involved transforming the former church into a spectacular private residence while carefully preserving its character and original features.
The homeowner had created what Lee described as a new house inside the old, tired and dated church, building around historic details including exposed timber beams and an 1867 stained-glass window.
A mezzanine level was also added within the main church hall, creating a new upper floor with three bedrooms and a bathroom.
Lee explained: “Every area had new walls built around the old features like the wooden beams and stained-glass windows.
The job had been partially painted by the homeowner prior to us starting. We put our professional touch on it and delivered the job on time just before Christmas.
Working within such a unique building brought its own challenges, with the scale and design of the church requiring skill and patience.
Lee said: “The job involved a lot of working at height and due to the angle of the ceilings, the only way to paint the walls was off a ladder, as a scaffold only went up so much before it touched the sloped ceilings.
While the dramatic interior transformation caught the attention of judges, Lee said one feature in particular stood out for him.
He explained: “I’m particularly proud of the new oak staircase leading to the first floor mezzanine and the posts and handrails.
There was a lot of work involved in getting them from raw wood to a nice varnished finish.
The team used a range of Johnstone’s Trade products throughout the project, including Aqua Guard Durable Satin, Perfect Matt and Woodworks Quick Dry Polyurethane Varnish.
Matt Baines, PPG general manager Architectural Coatings UK and Ireland, congratulated Lee and his team on their double award success.
He said: “The project required an incredible amount of skill and patience which the team expertly demonstrated when giving this historic building a new lease of life.
The building’s height, complex angles and original features presented the team with an array of challenges and it’s no small feat that they were able to produce the high-quality finish that they did.”
For Lee, the reaction to the finished transformation has made the project even more special.
He added: “When people see the standard of work we’ve done, we always get a good reaction.
It was a beautiful, probably once-in-a-lifetime job.”
