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Interior Painting

What You Can Expect

  • furniture, floors and carpets should be protected by drop sheets.
  • dirt, grease, mildew, soap, nicotine and oil must be washed from all surfaces prior to painting.
  • stains such as watermarks, mould and ink that could “bleed through” the new paint should be sealed.
  • loose paint must be scraped back and the surface sanded smooth.
  • cracks and holes in walls, ceilings and woodwork should be filled and sanded smooth.
  • open joints and gaps between surfaces should be filled for a cleaner and more finished appearance.
  • new timber and plasterboard must be undercoated prior to being painted.
  • only quality paints are to be used to ensure longevity.
  • a sufficient number of coats (usually 2 for walls) should be applied to achieve good colour coverage and for a long-lasting finish.
  • all excess paint should be removed from windows or anything else not being painted.
  • touch-up paint should be labelled and left for future use.

Note: whilst painters undertake minor replastering on walls and ceilings it is unrealistic to expect painters to return these surfaces to an “as new” condition. If you require perfect walls and ceilings please advise your painter and they should be able to recommend a good plasterer.

Selecting Interior Colours

For each room you wish to paint answer the questions below:

  • How high are your ceilings?
  • What colours are your window treatments and furniture?
  • Do you have any other furnishings/wall hangings that you wish to feature?
  • What colour is your carpet/floor covering?
  • Do you like colour?
  • Do you prefer white/off-white?
  • What is the room to be used for?

Colours change depending on the amount of daylight entering the room and the artificial lights to be used in the room. As the light changes throughout the day and night so do the colours in the room.

A simple rule is: the less natural light available the deeper the colours will appear.

Ceilings

High ceilings can take deeper colours than low ceilings. Low ceilings are generally painted in a white/off-white to make them appear higher and the rooms larger.

Walls

Deeper colours on walls make them appear closer and often the room smaller. Generally, small rooms with minimal daylight are painted in light colours and large rooms or rooms with large windows can be painted in deeper colours.

A good way to bring colour into a room is to paint one wall in a deeper or brighter colour i.e. create feature walls. When creating feature walls special finishes can also be used eg Suede, Stone Effects etc.

Woodwork

Woodwork is often painted in the same colour as the walls or slightly lighter or darker unless a contrast is required.

OH&S Issues

We need to follow OH&S regulations when painting.

Painters need to assess the following:

  • Stairwells, atriums, high ceilings etc – sometimes scaffolding or scissor lifts are required to reach high areas.
  • Furniture & fittings – is there sufficient room to work around these or do areas need to be cleared?
  • Painting in enclosed areas – if we need to use high fume paints such as stain sealers or enamels we need to look at ventilation. We may need to wear ventilators.

Sanding – if there is a lot of sanding to be done we need to consider the likely toxicity levels of the surfaces being sanded. We also need to consider ventilation or whether we need to wear ventilators or masks.