How a Paint Crew Spends a Day on a Riverside Interior

On a ninety degree afternoon the inside of a Riverside, CA house with the windows shut can run as hot as the yard, so painters plan the day around the heat, and the jobs logged by crews (the ones kept through riverside painters clothes made from scrap are typical) show the first hour spent setting up, not painting.

Morning setup and furniture

The crew arrives, walks each room and moves furniture to the center, covered in plastic. Floors get rosin paper or canvas, taped along the baseboard. Outlets, switch plates and light fixtures are removed or covered. Doors come off their hinges when they are being sprayed or brushed on both sides. This part runs an hour or two for a typical room and sets the pace for the day.

Patching and sanding

Nail holes, dings and cracks get filled with spackle, and larger damage gets patching compound. Once it dries the patches get a light sanding with a pole sander, then a wipe to remove dust. Glossy trim gets a scuff sand so primer holds. Caulk goes along trim edges and crown joints. Everything that was patched is spot-primed, because bare patches soak up topcoat and show as dull flat spots under a satin or eggshell finish.

Ladder work and cutting in

A stepladder or extension ladder goes up for the ceiling lines and the tops of the walls, and a painter cuts in a clean band around corners, trim and ceilings with an angled brush. Cutting in comes before rolling so the roller overlaps the brushed edge while it is still wet. Ceilings are painted first, since drips fall on the floor cloths and not on finished walls.

Rolling and dry time between coats

Walls get a roller with a nap suited to the surface, short for smooth drywall and longer for textured plaster. A painter rolls in sections, keeping a wet edge to avoid lap marks. Latex is dry to the touch in an hour or so in summer air, but recoat time follows the can, and two coats go on with enough wait between them. Wet film left alone to dry on its own is the whole secret to an even sheen.

Ventilation without a dust storm

In hot weather the crew opens windows and runs fans in the early part of the day, then closes them as the afternoon wind rises and carries dust and pollen indoors. Fans move air out of the room, not across the wet wall. Low-odor products keep the house livable, and painters leave a window cracked overnight.

The last hour

Before leaving the crew pulls tape while the paint is soft, puts switch plates back, vacuums the floors, wipes sills and closes every can. The ladder goes against a wall. A walk-through with the owner at the end catches touch-ups while the paint is still in the room, and the schedule for the next day gets set before the truck pulls out.