It also happens inside someone's home, usually while they are living in it. How the work is contained matters as much as how the finish looks.
Cutting in is where the skill shows
Anyone can roll the middle of a wall. The line where the wall meets the ceiling, the cornice, the skirting and the architraves is what separates a professional job from a weekend one, and it is done freehand with a brush.
It is also the part that gets rushed on a cheap quote. A wavy cut in line along a cornice is permanent until someone repaints, and no amount of quality paint hides it.
Keeping your house liveable
Interior work makes dust from sanding and it involves a lot of moving furniture. Managed badly it takes over the house for a fortnight.
We seal off the work area, cover floors properly rather than dropping a sheet down, move and protect furniture rather than working around it, and tape over air conditioning return vents so sanding dust does not get pushed through the entire house. Everything gets cleaned down at the end of every day, not at the end of the job.
Most clients carry on living in the rest of the house without much disruption.
Getting the finish right for the room
Sheen level matters more than people expect, and it is worth a minute of thought per room.
- Ceilings: flat, always. Any sheen on a ceiling shows every imperfection and every roller lap
- Living areas and bedrooms: matt or low sheen. Forgiving on wall imperfections, easy to touch up
- Hallways and kids' rooms: low sheen at minimum, because it takes cleaning
- Kitchens and bathrooms: a washable low sheen or semi gloss, and a product rated for moisture
- Trim, doors and architraves: semi gloss or gloss enamel, which is harder wearing and defines the edges of the room
New plaster and fresh render
New plasterboard needs a sealer or a mist coat first. Bare plaster is porous and drinks the first coat unevenly, so painting straight onto it gives you a patchy finish that no number of top coats will fully even out.
Fresh internal render needs the same waiting period as external, 14 to 28 days, and often longer inside because there is less air movement to carry the moisture away. Running a fan or a dehumidifier genuinely helps.
If we rendered the walls ourselves, we know exactly when they went on and when they are ready.