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Interior painting: the preparation is the job
Rolling the paint on is the fast part. Everything that decides how it looks and how long it lasts happens before the lid comes off the can.
Almost every disappointing paint job I have been called in to fix was not a paint problem. It was a preparation problem wearing paint.
What has to happen before any paint
- Wash the walls. Hallways especially, and anything within reach of a door handle. Paint does not stick to grease or to the film that builds up on a wall over years, and it will let go later in exactly those places.
- Fill and sand properly. Every nail hole, every dent, every hairline crack. Filler shrinks a little as it dries, so a hole filled dead flush is a dimple by the time it cures. Slightly proud, then sanded flat.
- Texture first. Any repair big enough to need texture gets textured and matched before the paint, never after.
- Caulk the joints. The line where trim meets wall is the line your eye follows around a room. A clean caulk line is most of why a finished room looks finished.
- Prime what needs it. Bare filler, bare wood, any stain, and any drastic color change. Primer over a water stain is not optional. The stain will bleed through however many coats you put over it.
The part that surprises people
On a normal room, the preparation and the masking take a good deal longer than putting the paint on. That is not padding the job. A quote with those two the other way around is worth one question about what is getting skipped.
Sheen, briefly
Flat hides imperfections best and cleans worst. Eggshell and satin are the usual compromise for living space. Semi-gloss on trim and doors, because trim and doors get handled. In a bathroom, or anywhere else you know you will be wiping the walls, go a step shinier than you think you want.
And two coats. Not one generous one. Two. Color depth and durability both come out of the second.
If you are painting because of a repair, get both done together. Patching after the room is painted means cutting in and rolling that wall a second time, and you already paid for the first one. Same reason the texture gets matched before paint goes anywhere near it.
Related: Interior & Exterior Painting
I get asked for interior & exterior painting most often in Volente, Lago Vista.
More from the blog
- How I price a job, and why I won't guess over the phone
- The new-build punch list your builder never came back for
- Is your shower failing, or just ugly?
- Before you call anyone: the photos to send
- One visit or three? How to group a punch list
- Drywall cracks: which ones matter and which ones don't
- Why a texture repair shows, and how matching actually works
- Choosing flooring that survives a Central Texas house
- Gutters: what they are actually protecting, and when to clean them
- After a Texas storm: what to check, and in what order
- Cabinets: reface, repaint, or replace?
- Building outdoors in this sun: what actually lasts
Ready to get that list handled?
Send a few photos and I'll tell you what it takes, in writing, before anything starts. I work across Leander, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Round Rock and the towns nearby.