How long does it take to get a haircut? How long does it take to fix a car? There is no right answer to these questions, except, "It depends!" Likewise, the question "How long does it take to paint a home interior?" has a variety of answers. We are happy to give you some general time estimates for interior house painting, and then we will also discuss some of the factors that might make it take longer.

An average home in Alexandria and the Washington, D.C. region generally takes 3-4 days for interior painting. This assumes a typical amount of surface preparation and one or two coats of interior paint, plus the setup and cleanup time. If your painting company is able to put a larger team of house painters on the project, it is possible to shorten the process to some extent. However, due to drying times and other factors, some parts of interior painting cannot be sped up. After all, no one wants a rushed paint job!

What Makes Interior House Painting Take Longer?

It should be obvious that a larger house will take longer for interior painting due to the increased surface area that needs to be painted. Here in the Washington, D.C. area, we have some stately homes with impressive square footage, and these homes might take two or three times as long to paint.

Aside from the amount of area to paint, many other factors can affect how long it takes to paint a home interior.

Extensive Surface Preparation for Interior Painting

Every interior painting project will take some level of surface preparation to ensure excellent results. However, when a wall is in poor condition, it could take a significantly longer time to get ready. Surface preparation almost always includes washing the walls to remove any dirt or surface contaminants. Other aspects of the preparation for interior painting could include many steps:

• Repairing damaged drywall or plaster
• Skim coating to recreate a smooth surface
• Lead paint mitigation
• A full coat of regular primer
• Extra priming to cover stains or eliminate odors
• Caulking

Complicated Protection of Nearby Surfaces

The preparation that happens before interior house painting also involves protecting all neighboring surfaces to avoid damaging them. Some rooms are utterly simple, protected easily with a little bit of tape and a sheet of plastic. In contrast, some interior spaces have intricate details that require more time for protection.

One example of a complicated setup is on stairways. In many cases, each step needs to be painstakingly protected using heavy paper and tape. Added to this are the railing spindles, and sometimes other decorative features as well.

Another place where preparation takes longer is in kitchens, where appliances, cabinets, countertops, light fixtures, backsplashes and windows all require protection.

Extra Coats of Interior Paint or Decorative Finishes

A typical interior painting project will often involve two coats of paint after the preparation is done. However, some situations call for more coats of paint. For example, when making a drastic color change it may take extra coats of paint to achieve the desired outcome. Each coat of paint takes time to apply, but of course it also needs time to dry after each coat.

Decorative finishes will also add time to a painting project. For example, a mural will clearly need more time for the custom painting to be done by hand. Likewise, specialized techniques like rag rolling, crackle finishes, antiquing, faux finishing or high-gloss finishes will all require extra time to complete.

Multiple Colors

Using multiple colors in an interior painting project will add to the project time in a couple of ways. First, it means that adjacent walls cannot be painted one after another, if two different colors will meet in the corner. Instead, the first wall must be allowed to dry, then the second wall with a different color can be painted.

Another reason this can take longer is because you cannot use the same brushes and rollers for the whole interior painting project.

Interior Painting Is Worth the Time!

Whether your interior house painting project is brief or lengthy, the transformation it brings about is worth the wait! Those freshly smoothed surfaces gleam with new colors, and everything looks rejuvenated and renewed. It gives you a new sense of satisfaction, pride, and comfort in your home, enhancing your life with beauty.

Williams Professional Painting

For more than four decades, Williams Professional Painting has been serving the Washington, D.C. area with excellence and professionalism. We believe that every interior painting project deserves expert craftsmanship and attention to detail, and every customer deserves personalized service.

Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Williams Professional Painting serves the whole capital region, offering interior painting, exterior painting, carpentry, kitchen cabinet painting, popcorn ceiling removal, and a great deal more. If you would like a free estimate for your interior house painting project, we would be happy to provide you with one. In addition to the price, we can also give you a realistic idea of how long the interior painting will take in your home.

Give us a call, or use our online estimate request tool. We look forward to working with you!