Painting is a fun DIY project. But, unless you have some interior painting experience and can commit to the entire process, you are better off hiring a professional. There is, in fact, more to painting interiors than the actual painting itself. 

Priming, including repairing defects in the wall, taping, and tarping, can constitute up to 70 percent of the job. This is tedious and messy work they don’t show you on TV. A professional painter will do the job in half the time, producing better results. 

Depending on the scope of the interior painting project, it is possible to live in a house while it’s painted. While the contractor can paint one room at a time, the challenge is when they have to paint critical areas like the kitchen and bathrooms. 

For your safety, it is best to stay out of freshly painted rooms until paint fumes have dissipated. Paint fumes are a health hazard, especially to children. They can cause nausea, dizziness, breathing difficulties, and eye irritation.

The painters you hire will work best if the room is empty. So while they will cover your furniture with plastic before they start painting, it is always better if you can move the furniture out of the room.

Generally, you will want to make sure the house is clean before the painters come. Vacuum the room and clear all cobwebs from the corners. If the walls are greasy and dirty, wash them down with soapy water just so the paint will adhere.

Ideally, you should paint your interior walls when the temperature inside the room is above 50 degrees. If the walls are too cold the paint polymers may not bond well, which produces less than pleasing results. But for the best guidance always check the paint manufacturer’s recommendations.

Aside from how cold temperatures affect how paint coalesces and bonds, you also don’t want the paint to dry too quickly. So also avoid painting your interior walls when it’s scorching hot. It’s too hot when the indoor temperature is above 90 degrees.

Paint dries and cures best in fair weather. Since Canadian winters can be very cold, you should avoid painting your house in winter. In Edmonton, the warmest time of the year is between May and September, but pick a day when it’s not forecast to rain. 

While rain isn’t too much of a concern with interior as it is with exterior painting, high humidity is. Make sure the air inside your house isn’t too humid. If it is and you really must paint, using a humidifier will help dry the air.

You don’t want your walls to start showing signs that a repaint is now overdue before you act. So aim to repaint after every five years. Depending on the quality of the paint and how well the surface was primed before paint was applied, interior paint can last between 5 and 10 years. 

Some paints do not adhere well on dirty and greasy walls. Besides that, poor quality paints also tend to fade fast. There is also the case for not giving it enough coats when you paint. All that has a bearing on how often you have to repaint your interior walls.

For practicality, we advise choosing interior paint finishes based on the room. If it’s a high-traffic area of the house, like the kitchen or bathroom, a high or semi-gloss paint is decorative, yet practical because it is durable and easy to wash down. 

For the living room, which does not see as much traffic, a satin finish is classy yet still durable. The dining room sees even less traffic and will do just fine with an eggshell finish. Eggshell finishes are durable but not as easy to clean. The cheaper flat and matt finishes can be reserved for the bedroom.

Priming, including repairing defects in the wall, taping, and tarping, can constitute up to 70 percent of the job. This is tedious and messy work they don’t show you on TV. A professional painter will do the job in half the time, producing better results. 

Painting your interior walls has a potential ROI of 107 percent. But if you are painting your house to improve its odds of selling fast and for a good price, be careful with your choice of colour. Neutral colours like beige, off-white, and light gray are the safest bets. Avoid the dark reds and browns.

There are now paints with so low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that manufacturers deem it safe enough for you to sleep in a freshly painted house. But the paints still give off a smell that can be uncomfortable. For some people, the smell can cause headaches.

It is best to wait until the paint has completely dried before sleeping in a freshly painted house. That takes 3 days on average. While the paint is drying, also make sure the room has sufficient ventilation for all the paint fumes to dissipate.

Generally, you will want to make sure the house is clean before the painters come. Vacuum the room and clear all cobwebs from the corners. If the walls are greasy and dirty, wash them down with soapy water just so the paint will adhere.

You should give a room two to three days to air out before you move back in again. That’s how it takes for paint fumes to dissipate. Chemicals in paint fumes can cause nausea, headaches, breathing difficulties, eye and nose irritation, and dizziness. 

Maintaining good ventilation will help the fumes dissipate faster. There are also ways to naturally absorb paint fumes, but even if you employ those make sure to still give the room at least two days to air out.

If your interior wall is bumpy and has noticeable imperfections, using flat and matt paint finishes can help obscure them. Eggshell and satin finishes also do very well. 

Low-lustre paints absorb light, making any imperfections less noticeable. The opposite is true for glossy and reflective paints. It also helps to choose high-quality paint with good coverage.

Several factors may cause your chosen paint colour to look different than you expected. First, you may not have mixed the paint well. Paint should be thoroughly mixed for the pigment and the binding agents to blend together and achieve the right colour consistency. For best results, mix all your paint in one big container.

Another factor is the effect of light on paint colour. Fading or brightening light gives the illusion of shifting wall colour. This can be dampened by choosing a flat or matt finish that won’t reflect light as much. Painting over a dark colour may also affect how your new colour looks. So you may need to give it a few more coats than usual.