Interior Painting is about home maintenance and the protection of surfaces, right? Our painters painted hundreds of homes and it seems to almost never be about maintenance. It is mostly about that new colour, the new trends, the new paint. It is all with good reason of course. You are painting anyway, why not explore all the possible colour choices out there. There is a lot of information provided by manufacturers and all the relevant publications. Blogs and television about colour and decor are in abundance.
Okay, but who is going to do the all the Painting?
After you decide what colours to use on interior space, who would do the painting? Your local Big Box will encourage you to do it all yourself. And maybe you do have the time to learn a new skill and find the time to use it. Most people though would be best served using professional Painting Contractors. Ecopainting is such a local company. In the last 15 years we provided our residential painting services to homes and condo apartments throughout the GTA.
The following is a testimonial by Suzanne Robb after we painted their home:
“We love our new paint job! Your work was very neat as usual and the work area was always kept clean at all times and never in the way. The rooms look beautiful and the kitchen ceiling too. We are very pleased and would have you back to paint and recommend you to others(already have). All areas were completed, as well as a few additional areas that were discussed during the painting process. Your painters were very obliging”
Interior Painting Step by Step. Our Process explained.
Setting up the interior: interior painting is mostly about colour and we want you to love your new paint job. We also know that the decorating experience is what will make or brake the paint job. The procedures below explain some of the interior process.
- Furniture or smaller items will be removed. Furniture remaining in the area will be covered.
- Floors are covered with painters drop-cloths. Clean ones are used for interior residential painting.
- Hardware such as door knobs, electrical switch and outlet covers get removed or masked.
- Flaking paint is scraped and sanded. Holes and cracks are patched with spackle.
- Cracks in corners, baseboards and moldings are caulked.
- Repaired areas are sanded smooth and spot-primed.
Painting:
- Quality paint is applied carefully. We follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Two or more coats are applied as necessary.
- Drying times are followed between coats.
- Sufficient ventilation is for interior painting.
Clean-up:
- Masking tape and drop cloths are removed.
- Floors are swept or vacuumed.
- Furniture and hardware are placed back.
- Garbage, tools and equipment are removed.
Inspection:
- First our painters inspect the painted area for imperfections.
- Then the customer will inspect it with the job manager.
- After the customer is satisfied, a completion form is filled and signed.
Your Questions Answered. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Interior Painting
If this is your first time hiring an interior painting company, you probably have a lot of questions about the process. Or maybe you’ve hired painters for your home before, and your concerns were not adequately addressed. Here, we aim to cover all of the common and not-so-common questions that homeowners have when hiring a painting company for interior work:
Do I need do leave while the painters are painting?
Answer: No need to leave your home while we paint. Maybe you have heard stories of painters taking over the client’s home, creating a mess for a few days, and making the homeowner wish they’d booked a hotel during the whole ordeal. These are are all valid concerns before painting your interior. Our experience is quite different. If you look through our testimonials, we are praised for being very un-intrusive and accommodating with the homeowner’s priorities.
Here’s how the process works:
Upon approval of our Proposal, all of your information goes into the hands of our Operations Manager, who will contact you to arrange a start date for your project and put you on our schedule. A detailed scope of work is then given to one of our Professionally Trained Job Managers. Let’s call your Job Manager Sarah. Sarah now has all the necessary information outlined in her work order. Depending on the size of the job, a pre-job visit is scheduled, either the day before the painting will start, or an hour before Sarah’s crew arrives, so she can become familiar with your home and go through all the details with you. During this time, you can let her know of any priorities, perhaps a nursery you would like completed first, and let her know of any questions or concerns you might have.
Will I need to move my furniture?
Answer: That depends on whether you would rather move the furniture yourself, or you would rather have us move the furniture. Furniture needs to be moved to the centre of the room, so that the painters can access the walls. We can certainly do that for you, but if your want to keep the cost of painting your interior lower, ask the painters if you can help.
Will I need to protect my belongings?
Answer: No. This is the prep work that we will take of. In fact, the PDCA (Painting and Decorating Contractors of America) defines a Properly painted surface as “…a surface free of drips, spatters, spills, or over spray…” Whatever furniture that cannot be moved needs to be covered with plastic or clean drop cloths. Floor under areas being painted should be covered with professional grade drop cloths. The amount of furniture and floors we have to cover is added into the job cost for the customer. In rooms where we are painting the ceiling, everything must be covered. There’s no way to stop over spray from the roller on the ceiling, especially on textured ceilings. Since there’s that pesky thing called gravity, painting ceilings inevitably end up with paint splatter all over the drop cloths on the floor and the plastic used to cover light fixtures and furniture.
What should I do with my pets?
Answer: Ideally, we will be able to close off the rooms or areas where we are painting from the pets. During painting, there are tons of painting tools we need to be aware of that pets could get into. Especially the paint tray, which we keep covered when we’re not using it, since pets seem to be very interested in it and often try to eat it. Luckily, the paint we use now dries so quickly that just keeping the pet out for half an hour while the coat dries should keep them from getting paint on themselves afterwards. In this blog, we have information about what to do with your cats during interior painting and renovations.
Will the paint smell?
Answer: Not if we use low-VOC paints. The strong odour in traditional paint is caused by VOC’s, which are carbon-based solvents. They contribute to ozone-depletion, and have been linked to health problems.We can use low-VOC and zero-VOC paints where possible for your project. They are practically odourless, so you won’t have to open all the windows of your house to cope with the smell, which is especially good in the winter months. These options are better for the environment and for your health
Will the painters need to use the washroom?
This is a concern for most homeowners, especially the woman of the house. Would you have to come home and put on rubber gloves and clean up after the painters? It’s in your mind and you are thinking, will these guys be clean and tidy, or am I going to have to clean the floor every day? What am I going to find when I lift up the lid? If these questions are in your mind, we better discuss them.
Obviously now, in your screening process, you will really be checking people out, wondering who will be sent to your home. What was the estimator like? Would the painters be like him or her? What kind of painting company are they? Do they care about people’s property?
Answer: Yes, like all humans, we need to use the toilet and a washroom. Please designate a washroom for our use. For your peace of mind, our painters are trained to leave every room cleaner than they first find it.
We hope these answers put your mind at ease that your painting project will look fantastic, be hassle-free, and will work within your busy schedule. If you have any questions that are not covered in the above FAQ, please don’t hesitate to ask. Painting your home can be an exciting adventure. There are always new colours and trends and of course amazing possibilities.
To request service from our Toronto Interior Painting team, Call 416 733-7767. Our team would be happy to help with your transformation.