Inside house painting looks simple until you see the difference between a quick job and a careful one: cut-in lines along the ceiling, no roller marks in side light, filled cracks that stay hidden, and kitchen walls that wipe clean. Each room needs its own sheen and its own preparation, from steamy bathrooms to sun-faded lounges. Tell us which rooms you want painted, the colours you have in mind and the state of the walls, and local painters quote you directly. Sending a request is free and there is no obligation.
Choosing paint and sheen room by room
Matt and flat finishes hide flaws; low sheen and sheen wipe clean. Most painters work like this:
- Bedrooms and lounges: matt or low sheen acrylic, depending on how much the walls get touched.
- Passages and children's rooms: a washable low sheen or sheen.
- Kitchens: a scrubbable sheen that copes with grease and steam.
- Bathrooms: a sheen with an anti-mould additive, plus an extractor or open window.
- Ceilings: a flat ceiling paint that hides joints and does not glare.
- Doors, frames and skirtings: water-based or solvent-based enamel.
See interior paint for the products themselves.
Preparation inside the house
Fill cracks and nail holes, let the filler dry and sand it flush. Wash kitchen walls with a degreaser. Treat mould with a fungicidal wash before painting, never over it. Seal water stains and smoke marks with a stain-blocking primer, or they bleed through. Prime new plaster and skimming once they have cured. Check old enamel on doors with a solvent-wet cloth: if the colour comes off, it needs the right primer. In houses older than about 1970, do not dry sand old gloss; ask about lead-safe preparation.
What drives the cost
Interior painting is often quoted at about R50 to R100 per m² with paint, or about R25 to R50 per m² for labour only. High ceilings, cornices, many doors and frames, a dark colour going light, and lots of crack repair all push the price up.
Living in the house while it is painted
Agree an order of rooms so you always have a bedroom and the kitchen to use. Clear shelves and pictures, and move furniture to the middle of the room. Keep windows open while paint dries and keep pets out. Follow the drying and recoat times on the tin before you push furniture back or hang pictures. For a whole-house plan, see house painting.
What to include in your request
- Which rooms, and rough sizes or ceiling height
- Walls only, or ceilings, doors and trims too
- Colours and sheen, or advice wanted
- Cracks, mould, water stains or old enamel
- Whether the house will be lived in
Interior Painting for different clients
- Homeowners: bedrooms, lounges, kitchens and bathrooms repainted room by room while the family lives there
- Landlords and sellers: flats and houses repainted in a washable neutral between tenants
- Body corporates and estates: lobbies, stairwells and passages repainted with the body corporate's approved colours
- Shops, offices and restaurants: offices, shops and restaurant dining rooms repainted overnight or over a weekend
- Factories, farms and mines: canteens, offices and change rooms in factories and warehouses repainted
- Builders and developers: new plaster and skimming primed and painted inside before handover
- Schools, churches and public buildings: classrooms, church halls and clinic waiting rooms painted in holidays or in phases
- Painters and contractors: painters and handymen quoting rooms, ceilings and trims for homeowners
Frequently asked questions
What colours work for inside house painting?
Can painters paint over old enamel or wallpaper?
How long before I can use a freshly painted room?
Who will actually do my interior painting?
Interior Painting by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg