Painting During a Remodel
By Lemoon's Painting
On a remodel, the painter usually comes in twice: once after the drywall is finished, to prime and paint the walls and ceilings before cabinets and flooring go in, and again near the end, after trim, fixtures and floors are in, for the final coat and the touch-ups. Getting that order right protects the new finishes and the paint.
A remodel is a sequence of trades, each one building on the last, and painting sits in the middle of that sequence more than most homeowners expect. Bring the painter in too early and the walls get dented and dusty by the trades that follow. Bring him in too late and he is masking new cabinets, new floors and new fixtures to paint around them, with more risk and more hours.
The usual order on an interior remodel
Every project differs, but on a kitchen, a bathroom or a whole-house interior remodel the order generally runs like this:
- Demolition, then any framing changes.
- Rough plumbing, electrical and HVAC, then their inspections.
- Insulation, where walls are open.
- Drywall: hung, taped, coated and sanded by the drywall trade.
- The painter, first visit: inspect the drywall finish, prime the new drywall, and paint ceilings and walls.
- Cabinets and countertops installed.
- Flooring installed.
- Trim carpentry: baseboards, casings, doors.
- The painter, second visit: caulk and paint trim and doors, final coat on the walls, and touch-ups where the other trades have marked them.
- Electrical and plumbing trim: cover plates, fixtures, faucets, hardware, and the final clean.
The key idea is two painting visits, not one. The first does the large surfaces while the room is still empty. The second finishes everything once the things that scuff walls have been carried in.
Why the painter should see the drywall before anyone else covers it
New drywall is not ready for paint just because it looks smooth. The taped joints and screw heads are covered in joint compound, which absorbs paint differently from the paper face of the board. Without a proper primer, the joints can show through the finish as dull stripes, which painters call flashing.
The level of the drywall finish also matters, and it should match the sheen you want. A flat ceiling forgives a lot. A satin or semi-gloss wall in a kitchen, lit by a window that rakes light across it, shows every ridge and every slightly proud joint. Tell the drywall finisher and the painter what sheen you are planning before the drywall is finished, not after.
When the painter walks the new drywall on his first visit, he is checking for exactly this: sanding marks, shallow joints, screw pops and dents. Ebenezer repairs what he finds, from small patches to reworked joints, and then paints it, so the walls are right before the first coat goes on.
Before or after the cabinets?
Generally before. Painting walls and ceilings in an empty kitchen means no masking of new cabinets, a cleaner line, and paint behind and above where the cabinets will sit. It also means the wall behind an open shelf or a gap at the top of a cabinet run is finished, not bare drywall someone forgot.
The exception is a room where the cabinets are being painted on site. That is a separate, detailed job with its own preparation and cure time, and it is usually done after installation. Plan it explicitly.
Before or after the floors?
The honest answer is both. Primer and the first coats go on before the flooring, when a drip on the subfloor does not matter. The final coat comes after the floors and baseboards are in, with the new floor carefully covered. Some flooring, especially site-finished hardwood, has its own dust and fumes that you do not want settling onto fresh paint, so the painter and the flooring installer should agree the order between them.
What about an exterior remodel?
New windows, an addition or a stucco repair all bring their own sequence outside. The point to remember is that new stucco is strongly alkaline and needs time to cure before it is painted, often around a month, unless an alkali-resistant masonry primer made for fresh stucco is used within the limits on its data sheet. On the older homes of La Mesa and across San Diego, a remodel often means new stucco meeting old, and the texture has to be matched before paint so the repair does not show.
Once the stucco has cured, the exterior follows the usual order: power wash, check stucco and wood for repairs, mask windows and floors, then paint.
Who should coordinate the painter?
If a general contractor runs the remodel, they schedule the trades and the painter works to their calendar. If you are coordinating the trades yourself, call the painter at the planning stage. Tell him when the drywall is expected to be finished and when the cabinets arrive, and he can tell you how long the first visit needs and what the room must look like when he arrives.
Ebenezer manages every painting project personally, so the person you plan with is the person responsible for both visits.
Plan the painting into the remodel
If you are planning a remodel, bring the painter in before the drywall goes up. Ebenezer will walk the plan with you, tell you where painting fits and how many visits it needs, and give you a free estimate. Ask for your estimate, see how a job is run, or read more about interior painting.
Common questions
Should the walls be painted before or after new flooring?
Usually the primer and first coats go on before the flooring, while there is nothing to protect but a subfloor and paint drips cost nothing. The final coat and touch-ups come after the floors and trim are in, with the new floor carefully covered. It depends on the flooring, so agree the order with both trades.
When should the painter be told about a remodel?
At the planning stage, before the drywall goes up. The painter can tell you which sheen you plan to use and what that asks of the drywall finish, and can be scheduled into the gap between drywall and cabinets rather than squeezed in at the end.
How long should new stucco cure before it is painted?
New stucco is strongly alkaline and needs to cure before it is coated, often around a month. An alkali-resistant masonry primer can allow an earlier start within the limits on its data sheet, and the painter should follow those limits. Painting too soon can leave the finish discoloured or failing.
Does Lemoon's Painting do the drywall on a remodel?
Ebenezer repairs drywall: patches, cracks, screw pops, dents and the flaws a remodel leaves in new walls, and then he paints it. The new sheets on a remodel are usually hung by the remodel's own drywall crew, and he walks their finish early and tells you plainly what it needs before paint.