Interior painting in Dobbs Ferry, NY

What interior painting includes

An interior job can be a single bedroom or every room in the house. Most estimates cover walls, ceilings, baseboards, door and window casings and the doors themselves. Some homeowners add stair railings, built-in shelves or closets. Be clear about what you want included so every painter quotes the same scope.

Prep in older interiors

Older Rivertowns homes often have plaster walls rather than drywall. Plaster holds paint well but tends to develop hairline cracks over the decades, especially around door frames and ceilings. A careful painter will open and fill cracks, sand patches smooth and spot prime before the finish coats. Expect more prep time in a house with old plaster and layered trim.

Rooms with many coats of old oil paint on the trim may need a bonding primer before latex paint will stick. That step is easy to skip and costly to redo, so ask about it.

Choosing finishes

Flat or matte finishes hide wall flaws well and suit ceilings and bedrooms. Eggshell and satin are easier to wipe clean and work in hallways and family rooms. Semi-gloss is common on trim and doors. Your painter can suggest a mix that suits how each room is used.

• Walls and ceilings in living spaces and bedrooms
• Baseboards, crown molding and window casings
• Interior doors and stair railings
• Plaster crack repair and drywall patching
• Color changes from dark to light, which may need extra coats

Living in the house during the work

Most interior painting happens while families live at home. Painters typically work a few rooms at a time, cover floors and furniture and clean up each day. If your house was built before 1978 and the work involves sanding or scraping old paint, federal lead-safe rules apply, and the painter should explain how the work area will be sealed off.

Getting comparable estimates

Write down the rooms and surfaces you want painted, note any cracks or water stains, and share the same list with each painter. That way the estimates cover the same work and the price difference reflects real choices, such as paint grade or number of coats.

Questions homeowners ask