Interior painting

Every room starts with preparation. Cracks are raked out and filled, dents sanded flush, and the joints between plaster and woodwork sealed with a flexible caulk that can move with the house. Existing paintwork is washed where needed and lightly abraded so new coats have a key. Little of this is visible afterwards, which is exactly why it matters; we explain the reasoning in why preparation matters.

Fresh plaster must be thoroughly dry before it is painted. It lightens to an even colour as it dries, and darker patches mean moisture remains; typically that takes from several days for a thin skim in a warm, ventilated room to several weeks for thicker plaster in winter. Because new plaster is very absorbent, the first coat is a mist coat: a suitable non-vinyl matt emulsion thinned as the manufacturer directs, or a primer made for new plaster.

With preparation complete, we paint ceilings first, then walls, then woodwork, working downwards so that spatter and dust never land on a finished surface. Walls are cut in by hand at cornices and around joinery, then rolled; woodwork goes last so its line can be cut crisply against the finished wall. Recoat times come from the data sheet, and woodwork is lightly sanded between coats.

Ceilings are normally flat matt, which hides small undulations and avoids glare. Walls may be matt, or a more durable wipeable matt in halls and kitchens; woodwork is usually eggshell or satin, with gloss where a traditional look is wanted. There is more on each in walls and ceilings and woodwork.