Interior Painting
Walls, Ceilings, Trim and Doors — Prepped Right, Painted Clean
Interior painting is a prep trade wearing a finish trade’s name. Clean lines at the ceiling, trim that doesn’t telegraph brush marks, walls without lap marks or flashing — all of it is decided by patching, sanding, priming and masking before the finish coat ever opens.
What’s Included
Every project starts with a free on-site estimate and a written scope. Here’s what interior painting looks like when we do it:
To get started, use our online form or call (612) 816-5333.
- Full-room and whole-home repaints
Walls, ceilings, trim, doors and closets — in the sheens each surface actually needs.
- Surface prep as standard
Nail holes filled, dings patched, glossy trim scuffed, stains spot-primed. Prep is in the scope, not an upsell.
- Clean, protected workspace
Furniture moved and covered, floors protected, hardware removed rather than taped around.
- Color help included
Our color consultation folds into any interior project — tested on your walls, in your light.
How an Interior Painting Project Works
Most of the work on a paint job happens before the first coat of color goes on. The days of preparation decide how the finish looks and how long it lasts. Our crews follow the same sequence on every interior project, from one bedroom to a whole house. Open each step to see what it includes.
1. Walk through the rooms and write the estimate
A project manager walks each room with you, measures it, and notes the condition of the walls, ceilings, trim and doors. He also asks how you use the room. A kitchen, a child’s bedroom and a dining room each need different paint and a different sheen. You receive a written scope that lists the surfaces, the number of coats and the price before any work begins.
2. Protect the furniture and floors
We move furniture to the center of the room or out of it, then cover it with clean plastic and drop cloths. Floors get covered edge to edge with rosin paper or canvas on hardwood and plastic on carpet. Outlet covers, switch plates, door hardware, curtain rods and vent covers come off so no paint lands on them.
3. Prepare the surfaces
We fill nail holes and small dings with spackle and sand them flush. Larger damage gets a proper drywall patch, and our drywall repair crew matches the texture where needed. We sand glossy trim so the new coat bonds. We recaulk cracks along the ceiling line and door casings with paintable acrylic caulk. Water stains, marker and wood tannin get a coat of primer that blocks stains so they never show through the finish.
4. Prime the areas that need it
Bare drywall patches, repaired plaster, formerly glossy surfaces, dark to light color changes and stained areas all need primer. We prime those spots, or the whole surface when the job calls for it, and the estimate tells you which.
5. Apply the finish coats
We paint ceilings first, then walls, then trim and doors, so drips and dust never land on a finished surface. We cut in ceiling lines and corners by hand with a sash brush and roll the walls with a nap that suits the texture, which keeps the sheen even and prevents lap marks. Two finish coats is the standard.
6. Clean up and walk through
Hardware goes back on, furniture returns to its place, and we clean the floors. We inspect each room under raking light before we call it done and leave you the labeled leftover paint for touchups.
Choosing Paint and Sheen for Each Room
The right paint depends on the surface and on how the room gets used. These are the rules we follow, and your project manager will confirm them for your home.
Ceilings
Ceilings get flat paint. Flat paint hides roller marks and small drywall flaws, and it handles the uneven light that windows and fixtures throw across a ceiling. A bright white ceiling also makes the wall color look cleaner.
Living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms
Walls in these rooms get matte or eggshell paint. Both are washable in modern acrylic latex paint and both hide small flaws better than satin. Eggshell adds a soft glow in rooms with good natural light.
Kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms and mudrooms
Walls in wet and busy rooms get satin paint because it scrubs clean and resists moisture. Anywhere a shower runs, we use a bathroom paint that resists mildew. Trim and doors in these rooms get semigloss.
Trim, doors, windows and cabinets
Trim gets a semigloss or satin enamel. Enamel dries harder than wall paint, levels out brush marks, resists fingerprints and wipes clean. We spray cabinet doors and drawer fronts for a smooth finish. Our color consultation helps you pair cabinet and wall colors.
Paints with low or no VOCs
Modern interior paints with low VOCs perform as well as older formulas and have little odor, so you can sleep in the house the same night. We use them by default and can order paint with zero VOCs for nurseries or for anyone sensitive to fumes.
Brands and color matching
Bring us a color from any brand’s fan deck, such as Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore or Behr, and we will match it in a professional line that suits the surface. The color consultation included with every project tests real samples on your walls.
What Affects the Cost of Interior Painting
We measure every estimate on site, so we cannot give a price per square foot here. These factors move the price up or down, so you can plan:
- Square footage and ceiling height. Wall area is the biggest factor. Vaulted ceilings and stairwells add ladder and staging time.
- Surfaces included. Walls alone cost the least. Ceilings, trim, doors, closets and cabinets add labor, and enamel work on trim and doors takes the most time.
- Condition of the walls. A well kept house needs light prep. Heavy patching, wallpaper removal, water damage and peeling paint take longer, and prep is where the hours go.
- Color change. Going from dark red to soft white usually needs a coat of primer plus two finish coats. A repaint in a similar tone needs less.
- Number of colors. Accent walls, two tone rooms and separate trim colors add cutting time.
- Occupied or empty. An empty house paints faster than one where we work around furniture, artwork and a family. We do both, and it shows in the schedule.
Everything sits in the written scope, so the invoice matches the estimate. If we find hidden damage after a room is cleared, we stop and show you before we add anything.
Interior Painting in Minnesota Homes
Our climate shapes interior work. Long heating seasons dry the air and the walls, which helps paint cure but strains caulk joints and plaster, so recaulking is part of every interior repaint here. Humid summers mean paint in bathrooms and basements has to resist mildew. The housing stock varies too: 1920s bungalows with original plaster, 1950s ramblers, 1980s split levels with textured walls, and new construction with fresh drywall each need their own prep and primer. We have painted interiors in all of them since 2007, and our crews know what a plaster wall in a St. Paul four square needs compared with a knockdown wall in a Woodbury two story.
Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint under later layers. When we sand or scrape those surfaces we follow EPA lead safe work practices: we contain the work area, vacuum with HEPA filters and never dry sand a suspect layer, so the dust stays out of your living space.
Interior painting is also the last step for our other trades. After drywall finishing, popcorn ceiling removal or wallpaper removal, the crew that prepared the surface paints it, and one contractor is responsible for the whole result.
Why Homeowners Hire Us
Written Warranty
If something isn’t right, we come back and make it right.
In-House Crews
Our own employees do the work. We don’t hand your home to subcontractors.
Honest Guidance
Clear recommendations and a written scope. No guessing what comes next.
Detail-Driven Prep
Containment, masking and cleanup handled like they’re part of the job — because they are.
Results You’ll Love
Seamless texture matching and finishes that hold up for years.
628+ Five-Star Reviews
A 4.8-star reputation built one Twin Cities home at a time since 2007.
View Some of Our Work
Interior Painting — Common Questions
How many coats do interior walls need?
Usually two finish coats; drastic color changes or bare patches may need primer plus two. The count is written into your estimate, and it doesn’t shrink when the schedule tightens.
What sheen should I use where?
Broadly: flat or matte for ceilings, eggshell or matte for walls, satin or semi-gloss for trim, doors and wet areas. Sheen changes both the look and the scrubability — we’ll walk each room with you.
How long does it take to paint the interior of a house?
A single room usually takes one day. A typical three bedroom home with walls, ceilings and trim takes three to five working days. Cabinets and heavy prep add time. Your estimate includes a schedule and we hold to it.
Can we stay in the house while you paint?
Yes. Most of our interior work happens in occupied homes. We work room by room, use paint with low odor and low VOCs, keep the workspace clean and put each room back together in the evening so your family can live around the project.
Do I need to move my furniture before the painters arrive?
No. We move and cover furniture, protect floors and put everything back. Please clear shelves, take down artwork and small fragile items, and empty the tops of dressers. We handle the rest.
Should I paint before or after new flooring?
Paint first, then install flooring, whenever the schedule allows. We can work freely without a new floor to protect, and we touch up any nicks from the flooring install at the end. If the floor is already in, we cover it completely.
Do you paint trim and doors too?
Yes, and enamel work on trim and doors is where hand skills show most. Sprayed or brushed depending on the setting, always with the prep that keeps enamel smooth.
Branden worked as a drywaller and painter for nearly a decade before he founded Home Drywall & Painting in 2007. He writes each service page, including this guide to interior painting, from the way our crews do the work, and he reviews it whenever our methods or materials change. Read more about the company or see our 628+ Google reviews.
Check Our License and Read the Standards We Follow
These outside sources cover the licensing, safety rules and workmanship standards that apply to this work. Use them to verify us and to compare any contractor you consider.
- Minnesota DLI contractor license lookup — Check the license and insurance status of any Minnesota contractor before you hire.
- EPA Lead-Safe Certified renovation program — Federal rules for painting and disturbing painted surfaces in homes built before 1978.
- PCA industry standards for painting — The Painting Contractors Association’s published workmanship standards.
Related Services
Serving the Twin Cities Metro
We’re the residential and commercial contractor that has served the interior painting needs of the Twin Cities since 2007, including:
- Minneapolis
- St. Paul
- St. Anthony
- Edina
- Bloomington
- Plymouth
- Maple Grove
- Eden Prairie
- Minnetonka
- Woodbury
- Eagan
- Roseville
- Blaine
- Coon Rapids
- Brooklyn Park
- Burnsville
- Apple Valley
- Lakeville
- Shoreview
- Golden Valley
- St. Louis Park
- Richfield
- Wayzata
- Chanhassen
Ready to Get Started?
Get a free, no-obligation quote for interior painting anywhere in the Twin Cities metro.
Junior and his crew were great to work with on our office redesign. They got us our estimate same day and gave a great price. The hardworking crew got the job done faster than I expected, and it also came out perfectly. We will be using him and his team again in the future.
I hired Home Drywall and Painting to finish my three-car garage starting from bare studs, and they did an outstanding job. They handled insulation, full sheetrock installation, mudding and taping, and painting — all in-house. What normally would take multiple contractors was completed by one company, which made the process smooth and efficient.
After my first contractor jerked me around for 2 weeks with excuses, the team at Home Drywall & Painting became my Plan B. Jessica took my call, sent me a proposal and had me booked next day. Adam had his team dispatched and they finished in about 3.5 hours. They had one hiccup during install, but they resolved the issue and made it right. Everyone was respectful and polite. The end price was exactly what I was quoted. Happy to recommend.
They were very respectful of our home and our schedule, did an absolutely beautiful job — and communicated daily about what to expect. A plumbing water damage mishap to our finished lower level meant repairing the entire ceiling: skim, sand, re-texture, paint — plus removal and reinstallation of ceiling fans, a chandelier, can lights, speakers and vents. Gerid and the Home Drywall team also offered a very competitive price.