Painting

Most of it, especially in older Chicago homes with plaster walls. Filling, sanding, deglossing and priming take longer than applying the paint, and skipping any of it is why a fresh coat can look poor within months.

Usually. Exterior coatings have minimum temperature requirements to cure properly, which limits the Chicago window to the warmer months. Interior work runs year round, so planning exterior work over winter for a spring start is normal.

Sometimes, but it is rarely the better answer. Seams and texture telegraph through, and paint moisture can lift paper. Removing the paper or skimming the texture gives a wall worth painting, and we will tell you which your walls need.

Yes u2014 cracks, old patches and damaged plaster are addressed first. Painting over them just makes them more visible against a fresh finish. In older homes a skim coat over a whole wall is often the most efficient route to a good surface.

Almost always. Rooms are done in sequence with furniture moved and covered and floors protected, so the household keeps functioning. We agree the room order with you around bedrooms and anything else that matters.

Plaster is repaired differently from drywall and needs matching for hardness and texture. Homes built before 1978 may contain lead paint, which changes how surfaces must be handled u2014 we raise it rather than treating an older property as a routine repaint.