Interior Painting in London

Preparation is the job

The visible part of interior painting is the smallest part of it. Filling, sanding, caulking, spot-priming and masking take longer than applying the paint, and they are what separate a finish that still looks flat in raking light from one that shows every repair beneath it.

Different substrates want different primers, and London property presents most of them in the same street. New plaster needs a mist coat so the first full coat soaks in rather than sitting on the surface and peeling. Bare timber and MDF need a primer that seals the grain. Previously oil-painted woodwork, common in period houses, needs de-glossing or an adhesion primer, or the new finish chips along edges and handles within a year. Stains, nicotine and water marks need a stain block or they bleed through however many coats go over them.

Sheen level is a practical decision as much as an aesthetic one. Flat and matt finishes hide surface imperfection but mark easily and are harder to clean. Eggshell and satin wipe down and suit hallways, stairwells and kitchens, but they reflect more light and therefore reveal more of whatever lies beneath, so the filling standard has to rise to match.

Colour behaves differently at depth of pigment. Strong and dark colours often need an additional coat, or a tinted primer beneath them, to reach an even density, and skipping that shows as patchiness in raking light long after the job is finished. Whites and off-whites are the opposite problem, revealing every imperfection in the surface below.

Light matters more in London than people expect. Basement rooms, lightwells, north-facing flats and rooms overshadowed by neighbouring buildings all change how a colour reads, which is why samples are worth viewing on the actual wall at the times of day the room is used rather than chosen from a card.

Common questions

Why does new plaster need a mist coat first?

Fresh plaster is porous and will draw moisture out of a full-strength coat unevenly, leaving it sitting on the surface where it can peel. A thinned first coat soaks in and gives the following coats something to bond to.

Can you paint over previously oil-painted woodwork?

Yes, once it is de-glossed or treated with an adhesion primer. Applying a water-based finish straight onto aged oil paint gives poor adhesion, and it usually shows later as chipping along edges and around handles rather than immediately. Period properties in London very often have oil-painted joinery beneath the current finish.

How many coats does a dark colour need?

More than a mid-tone, and often a tinted primer beneath them, to reach an even density. A quotation fixed at two coats regardless of colour will either be revised later or applied thin, which shows as patchiness in raking light once the job is finished.