Interior painting

What interior painting includes

A full interior repaint usually means walls and ceilings in two coats, plus doors, frames, skirtings and window reveals in a harder-wearing enamel. Furniture is moved to the middle and covered, floors are sheeted, switch plates come off, and cracks and dents are filled and sanded before any paint goes on. Wardrobes and cupboards inside are usually priced separately.

• Walls. Washed where greasy, filled, sanded, spot-sealed, then two coats in a low sheen.
• Ceilings. A flat finish that hides the joins, checked first for water stains and, in older houses, for textured coatings.
• Trim and doors. Sanded to key the old enamel, then a semi-gloss or gloss finish that stands up to knocks and cleaning.

Published Auckland ranges for interiors, from a single room to a whole house, are in the cost guide.

Popcorn and textured ceilings in pre-2000 homes

If your house was built before 2000, a stippled or popcorn ceiling may contain asbestos. WorkSafe lists textured ceilings, textured paints and asbestos-cement sheeting among the places it is found in homes. You cannot tell by looking. Do not sand, scrape or drill a textured ceiling until a sample has been tested.

If the test is clear, the ceiling can be repaired and painted like any other. If it contains asbestos, follow the asbestos contractor’s advice: it may be left undisturbed, or removed by a licensed asbestos removalist. Asbestos testing and removal are not offered here; a reputable asbestos contractor does that work.

Low-VOC paint for bedrooms and living areas

Most interior paints are now water-based acrylics, and many are sold as low-VOC, meaning they release fewer volatile organic compounds while drying. The simplest way to check a claim is the Eco Choice Aotearoa label. Its paints standard restricts VOCs, solvents, toxic pigments and hazardous additives, and looks at the whole life of the product.

Low-VOC paint still needs fresh air while it dries. Keep windows open, and leave a freshly painted bedroom empty overnight if you can, especially for babies and anyone with asthma.

Wallpaper: strip it or paint over it?

Strip it if it is lifting, bubbling or textured, because paint will show every seam and loose edge. Paper that is flat and well stuck can sometimes be sealed and painted, but it rarely looks as good as a stripped and repaired wall. Under old paper there is often damaged lining or patched plaster that needs a skim coat before painting.

In older houses, the wall behind the paper may carry old lead-based paint. Steaming and scraping that wall is done wet, with the debris collected, in the same way as on an exterior. See lead paint in older homes.

Wet rooms, kitchens and stairwells

Bathrooms and laundries need a paint made for wet areas, with any mould killed and the surface dry before it is coated. Kitchens need a scrubbable finish that copes with steam and grease. Stairwells and high ceilings take longer because they need a platform to reach them safely, and they are priced to match.

Painting a room yourself

A room with sound walls is the easiest painting job to do yourself. Move the furniture out, fill and sand, wash greasy areas, cut in the edges with a brush, then roll two coats. Leave textured ceilings alone in a house built before 2000 until you know what is in them, and wet sand any old enamel trim.

1. Clear and cover. Furniture out or to the middle, floors covered, switch plates off.
2. Fill and sand. Fill dents and cracks, sand smooth, dust off. Sand old trim wet in an older house.
3. Clean and prime. Wash kitchen and bathroom walls; prime patches and stains so the substrate takes paint evenly.
4. Cut in, then roll. Edges with a brush first, then roll each wall in one go to avoid lap marks.
5. Second coat. After the drying time on the tin, not before. Keep a little paint for touch-ups.

When is the best time to paint inside?

Any time of year, which is why interiors fill the gaps in a painter’s diary over winter. Paint dries slower in cold, damp rooms, so keep windows open a little and the room aired while it dries. Auckland’s humidity also matters in bathrooms: an extractor fan running during and after painting helps the finish cure.

A feature wall or a whole new colour scheme is easier to judge in daylight, so test colours on the actual walls at different times of day before committing.

Asked before a repaint

Can I paint over a popcorn ceiling?

If the house was built before 2000, find out what the ceiling is made of first. WorkSafe lists textured and stippled ceilings among the places asbestos turns up in homes. Do not sand, scrape or drill it. Have it tested by a reputable asbestos contractor, and follow their advice on whether it is left alone or removed by a licensed removalist.

What is the best paint for a bathroom ceiling?

A paint made for wet areas, usually with a mould inhibitor, over a ceiling that has been cleaned of mould and allowed to dry. Paint alone will not fix a bathroom that stays damp. A working extractor fan matters as much as the paint does.

What does low-VOC paint mean?

Paint that releases fewer volatile organic compounds as it dries, the chemicals behind the new-paint smell. The easiest check in New Zealand is the Eco Choice Aotearoa label: its paints standard limits VOCs, solvents and hazardous additives in water-based paints, primers and sealants.

How long does it take to paint a room?

An ordinary bedroom with sound walls usually takes a day or two, depending on the ceiling, the trim and drying time between coats. Filling cracks, stripping wallpaper or a strong colour change can add days. A written quote should estimate the time for each room.