Interior Painting in Arlington, TX

The prep is the job

Paint does not hide a surface, it follows it. Nail pops, hairline cracks at drywall seams and gaps where trim has pulled away all show through a fresh coat - often more clearly than before, because a uniform colour strips away the visual noise that was hiding them.

• Fill and sand nail holes, dents and drywall seams flat.
• Caulk the gaps between trim, casing and wall. This is the single biggest difference between a finished look and a patched one.
• Spot-prime repairs, stains and bare substrate so the topcoat sits evenly instead of flashing dull where it soaked in.
• Degloss or sand existing enamel on trim and doors, or the new paint peels off it in sheets later.
• Mask, drop and protect - floors, fixtures, counters and everything not being painted. Furniture moved and covered.

Texture, and why a patch shows

Almost every house in the Metroplex has textured walls and ceilings - knockdown, orange peel, or the heavy hand textures that went on in the 1970s and 1980s. A repair that is filled flat and painted is a repair you can see across the room, because the light catches the smooth patch differently. Matching texture is a skill of its own, and it is the reason drywall repair and painting belong with the same contractor. We match the texture first and paint second.

Sheen, and the rooms people get wrong

Sheen is a functional decision before it is an aesthetic one. Flat and matte hide surface imperfection best and are right on ceilings and on older walls patched many times, but they scuff and they do not wash. Eggshell and satin take cleaning, which is what a hallway with children in it actually needs. Semi-gloss on trim, doors and bathrooms copes with moisture and hands. The most common regret is flat paint in a high-traffic hallway; the second is a bathroom ceiling in something that cannot cope with steam.

Cabinets, and custom finishes

Painting or refinishing kitchen and bathroom cabinets is the biggest visible change available for the least disruption, and it is a different job from painting a wall: doors come off, hardware comes off, everything gets cleaned and deglossed, and the finish has to cure hard enough to take fingernails and cleaning products. Whitewashing, faux finishes, accent walls and furniture pieces are on the list too - they are on Eduardo's own service list and they are the kind of work that got this company its name.

Homes built before 1978

Older parts of Arlington, Irving, Grand Prairie and Richardson have a good deal of pre-1978 housing, and homes of that age may contain lead paint. Federal EPA rules govern how a paid contractor may disturb painted surfaces in them: containment, no open-flame or high-heat stripping, no uncontained power sanding, and a specific clean-up standard. If your home is that vintage, ask every bidder how they handle it. The answer tells you a lot about the rest of their process.