Interior Painting Preparation Standards
LEVEL 2: BASIC PAINTING PREPARATION
- Ceilings: Address any major ceiling cracks, water damage etc.
- Walls: Fix all structural cracks; fill all major holes; address any flaws that “jump out” in a cursory inspection.
- Trim: Sand any obvious rough patches; does not removal of old paint off of glass.
LEVEL 3: STANDARD PAINTING PREPARATION
- Ceilings:
- Address any major or minor ceiling cracks, water damage etc.
- Fix major holes and major flaws that “jump out”
- Walls:
- Fix structural cracks
- Fill all major and minor holes that can easily be seen from 3 feet
- Sand most wall surfaces to knock off burrs on the surface
- Caulk obvious cracks between walls and trim that can be seen from eye level.
- Trim:
- Fill any major divets in eye-level trim if they can hold filler
- Sand all trim with heavier grit sandpaper to knock off burrs and smooth
- Remove all old paint off of the interior glass
LEVEL 4: UPGRADE PAINTING PREPARTION
- Ceilings:
- Smooth out any major “waves” in the ceiling
- Fix minor holes and minor flaws that can easily be seen from 3’ away
- Walls:
- Aggressively attack major and minor stress cracks by “digging them out” and then fixing
- Fill all major and minor holes that can be seen from a 3’ inspection.
- Blend in areas that were previously spackled but not blended into the surrounding wall.
- Heavily sand all wall surfaces with an electric palm sander to smooth.
- Sand out runs on corners.
- Fix joints between drywall sheets that have not been addressed in previous paint jobs so the joints blend into the wall.
- Caulk any cracks between walls and trim that can be seen from any position (for example: the bottom edges of the window frames that can only be seen by looking up from the floor).
- Trim:
- Sand all trim with 50 grit sandpaper first to knock off major peeling paint and burrs.
- Re-sand all trim with 120 grit sandpaper for smoother surface.
- Fill all major and some minor divets in the trim that will hold filler.
- Skim coat any door panels that are alligatored to smooth.
LEVEL 5: PREMIUM PAINTING PREPARATION
- Ceilings:
- Smooth out any major and minor “waves” in the ceiling.
- Fix minor holes and minor flaws that can be seen from 1’ away.
- Walls:
- Fill all major and minor holes that can be seen from 1’ away.
- Perform all “cut-in” in a manner where no “picture framing” around outlets and trim occurs.
- Fix “bowing” drywall sheets that may not be noticed unless the lighting is a certain way.
- Trim:
- Skim coat all window sills for glass finish.
- Fill all major and minor divets in the trim that will hold filler.
- Methods to get in tight relief on trim
- Attempt to remove paint from all hardware.
