Interior Painting

What’s involved

• Walls and ceilings in the finish you want, matt, soft sheen, or a wipeable finish for kitchens, bathrooms and hallways
• Woodwork: skirting, architraves, doors, window boards and built-in joinery
• Filling, caulking and sanding so walls and trim are smooth before any topcoat
• Cutting in by hand for crisp lines where walls meet ceilings, trim and edges
• Floors, furniture and fittings protected, with a daily tidy-up and a final clean

What affects the cost

Every job is different, so we quote each one rather than publish fixed prices. These are the things we look at:

• The number and size of rooms, and the ceiling height
• How much preparation is needed, filling cracks, repairing plaster or sanding back old gloss takes longer than painting sound walls
• Big colour changes (for example dark to light) which can mean an extra coat
• The number of coats the chosen paint and colour need to cover properly
• The condition of the woodwork, stripping flaking gloss is more involved than a light key and recoat

How the job runs

Every job follows the same four stages, consultation, preparation, the work itself, then a proper clean-up. For interior painting, that looks like this:

1. 1

   Look round and quote

   We visit, look at the rooms with you, talk through colours and finishes, and follow up with a written, no-obligation quote that covers the preparation as well as the painting.

2. 2

   Protect and prepare

   Floors sheeted, furniture moved or covered, then the part that decides the finish: filling, caulking, sanding and priming so every surface is sound before a topcoat goes near it.

3. 3

   Paint

   Ceilings first, then walls, then woodwork, with edges cut in by hand for crisp lines. We agree the order of rooms with you so the house stays liveable throughout.

4. 4

   Tidy up and walk through

   We clear up at the end of every day, and finish with a walkthrough together so you're happy with each room before we call the job done.

Common questions

Can we stay in the house while you paint?

Yes, for most interior work you can. We paint room by room, keep everything sheeted and tidy, and use low-odour water-based paints where we can so rooms are usable again quickly. We'll agree the order of rooms with you so the disruption is kept to a minimum.

Do you move furniture and protect the floors?

We move and cover furniture, lift and protect flooring, and mask off anything that isn't being painted. Anything heavy or fragile we'll talk through with you beforehand.

How long does a room take?

A typical room is one to two days depending on its size, how much filling and prep it needs, and the number of coats. We'll give you a realistic timescale with your quote rather than an optimistic one.

Do you do the preparation, or just the painting?

Preparation is the job, filling, sanding, caulking and priming are what make a finish last. It's all included; we don't skip it to save time.

Which paint finishes go where?

As a rule of thumb: matt on ceilings and most walls, a wipeable or soft-sheen finish in kitchens, bathrooms and busy hallways, and eggshell or satin on woodwork. We'll recommend a finish for each room when we quote, based on how the room is actually used.