What we build
Interior painting
Drywall repair, correct primer, and a finish schedule written per room.
Overview
What this scope actually is
Paint is the finish everybody judges the whole renovation by, and it is the one most often rushed. The difference between a good job and a bad one is almost entirely in what happens before the topcoat: repairs, the right primer for the substrate, and sheen chosen per room rather than per house.
On renovation work we deal with textured ceilings, patched drywall next to fifty-year-old plaster, previously oil-painted trim, and humidity that sits high enough to change dry times. Each of those needs a different preparation answer.
We write a finish schedule for every job: substrate, primer, product, sheen and coats, room by room, so there is no argument later about what was supposed to happen in the laundry.
Included
What is in the contract
Surface assessment
Substrate identified room by room. Old oil-based trim, glossy enamel, bare patched drywall and unsealed plaster each get a different primer.
Repair
Nail pops set and re-fastened, cracks cut out and taped rather than skimmed, corner bead repaired, and texture matched on patches before priming.
Adhesion testing
Where we suspect an old alkyd coat, we test adhesion before committing to a waterborne topcoat.
Primer schedule
Bonding primer over glossy or oil, stain-blocking primer over water marks and tannin, and a high-build primer over heavily patched board.
Masking and protection
Floors covered, hardware removed rather than taped where practical, and fixtures bagged.
Application
Spray-and-backroll on large open areas, cut and roll where spraying is not appropriate, two finish coats as standard.
Sheen per room
Flat or matte on ceilings, eggshell or satin on most walls, satin or semi-gloss in bathrooms and laundries, and a durable enamel on trim and doors.
Touch-up kit
Labelled leftover product for every colour, with the room, the product and the sheen written on the can.
Sequence
How the work runs
- 01
Walk and schedule
Room by room, we record substrate, existing coating, defects and the finish you want.
- 02
Protect
Floors, fixtures and anything staying in the house.
- 03
Repair and sand
Fill, tape, texture-match and sand to a consistent surface.
- 04
Prime
The primer the substrate needs, not a universal one.
- 05
Finish coats
Two coats, with the second going on only after the first has reached recoat time at the actual room humidity.
- 06
Reinstall and clean
Hardware, plates and fixtures back, site cleaned.
- 07
Light-raking walk
We walk every room with a raking light and fix what it shows before we call it done.
Why it costs what it costs
Five things that move the number
Repair volume
Prep is the majority of the labour. A house with settled cracking and forty nail pops is a different job from a clean one.
Ceiling texture
Knockdown and orange peel patches have to be matched, and older popcorn ceilings in pre-1980 houses need testing before disturbance.
Colour change severity
Deep to light, or any saturated accent colour, can need an extra coat regardless of the product's claims.
Trim condition
Previously oil-painted trim needs bonding primer and, often, sanding that doubles the trim line.
Occupied or empty
An empty house paints faster and better than one we have to work around.
Questions
Interior painting: common questions
Both, depending on the surface. Large open walls and ceilings in an empty house get sprayed and backrolled, which lays a more uniform film. Occupied rooms and detailed areas are cut and rolled. Trim and doors are sprayed wherever we can mask properly.
Two finish coats over the correct primer is our standard. A third is occasionally needed on a severe colour change, and we will tell you before we start rather than after.
Usually yes, and we spray a sample panel first so you can see it. Where a ceiling has been patched many times, skim-coating the whole ceiling flat often looks better and costs less than chasing a match across every repair.
We use low-VOC products as standard and ventilate as we go. Most clients are comfortable in a room the same evening. Oil-based enamel, where the substrate requires it, needs longer and we schedule it accordingly.
Related
Usually bought together with
Whole-home renovation
Every room on one schedule, one contract and one superintendent.
Flooring and subfloor prep
Slab moisture testing, flatness correction and transitions that do not trip anyone.
Basement and bonus room finishing
Below-grade rooms, over-garage bonus rooms and enclosed under-house space.
Start where every one of our projects starts
A two hour site visit, then a written budget band inside a week. No drawings, no deposit.