Interior Work Scope

Walls and Ceilings

If painting walls but not ceilings, or vice-versa, take a look at the edges where they meet.  If there is sloppy edging from prior work, or if wallpaper glue got on the ceiling, we may not be able to fix these problems without painting a surface that you had not identified as needing painting.  For instance, consider the case where you only want your walls painted, but the wall color was allowed to bleed up onto the ceiling when the edges were previously cut in.  If only the walls are to be painted, the painters have to either follow the sloppy lines or cut in straight lines that will leave some of the old color bleeds showing on the ceiling.

Trim and Doors

Baseboards, window sills, and doors show more wear and tear than other trim elements such as crown molding, art ledges, picture frame molding, etc.  Most of the trim enamels used over the years have been oil-based, and oil-based enamels yellow over time.  For a discussion of enamel types, please read our Ask the Painter article, “Oil-based vs. Acrylic Enamels”.  For this reason, trim does not generally touch-up well.  It also means that painting the door slab and casing trim is usually an all-or-none project.  On the other hand, it is possible to paint baseboards and not doors because the baseboard and door casing trim only meet for a small boundary down at floor level where a slight color mismatch is not likely to be seen.  But, at eye level, even a slight color mismatch between the casing trim and the door itself is noticeable.  If the new color is close to the old, it may be possible to paint some doors but not others as long as they are not immediately adjacent to each other.  Other trim elements may not need to be painted at all, depending on their condition and whether or not a color change is desired.

Cabinets

We do not refinish cabinets, but we can do a stain-to-paint conversion on stained cabinets.  We have refinished cabinets in the past, but have found that due to the amount of labor needed do the job right, it is more cost effective to simply reface them.  Refacing involves replacing all the doors, laminating new material on top of flat surfaces, and replacing the decorative trim.  Southern Painting is not in the cabinet refacing business, so you will need to contact a third party to investigate this option.  Refacing is more expensive than a stain-to-paint conversion, but much less expensive than all new cabinets.  While a stain-to-paint conversion is often the lowest cost answer to the question, “What can I do with my cabinets?”, it is important to understand that the resulting look is that of painted, not stained, wood.  Painted cabinets may also have a faux finishing treatment applied to arrive at a unique and more artistic look.

The other question regarding cabinet work is whether or not to paint the insides of the cabinets. If we do not paint the cabinet interiors, we will still paint the insides of the doors.  Most people elect not to paint cabinet interiors.

Closets

If closets are to be painted, they will need to be emptied.  This opens up the question of where to put everything, especially if the entire house is being painted.  Some homeowners move everything into their garage, while others rent portable storage units which sit on their driveway and can be locked.  If closets are to be painted, Southern Painting recommends staying with a neutral, off-white color.  This is especially true for walk-in closets where you don’t want the wall color to reflect onto clothing when making,”does this go with that” wardrobe decisions.