Why Your Painter Should Be the Last Trade in Your Edmonton Renovation

Renovations have an order to them, even when they don’t feel particularly orderly while you are living through one.

There are electricians arriving, flooring being installed, plumbers working around cabinets, drywall being repaired, countertops appearing and schedules inevitably shifting. Somewhere in that sequence, the painter needs to come in.

So when should that happen?

At Walls Revived, I give clients two pieces of advice that initially sound contradictory: call your painter early, but have your painter work late in the process.

You want to book a good Edmonton painter before the time you actually need the painting completed. Quality trades can be booked weeks or months in advance, particularly when you are planning a large renovation or an entire house renovation.

But when it comes to putting paint on the walls, I want to be one of the last trades through the door.

There’s a practical reason for that.

Book Your Edmonton Painter Early, Then Schedule Painting Near the End

One of the questions I receive most during renovations is whether painting should happen before or after the flooring.

Homeowners understandably worry about having beautiful new floors installed and then allowing painters into the house.

Won't we get paint on them?

We shouldn't.

A professional painter knows how to protect finished surfaces. Floors can be carefully covered and the surrounding areas protected while we work.

There are exceptions. If ceilings are being sprayed, for example, having unfinished floors can make the process easier because spray particles can travel more easily. Every renovation needs to be evaluated individually.

As a general rule, however, I prefer to paint toward the end.

Why?

Because renovations are hard on walls.

An electrician may need to make another opening. A plumber might need access behind a finished surface. Someone carrying tools can turn around and accidentally scrape a wall. A ladder gets leaned somewhere it shouldn't. None of this means another trade is careless. Renovation work creates opportunities for damage.

If I paint too early, I may finish a beautiful wall only to return and discover a gouge running through it.

That creates rework that could have been avoided through better scheduling.

Resources such as the Canadian Home Builders' Association renovation information can help homeowners understand the broader planning involved in a professional renovation. Painting is only one part of that sequence, which is why communication between homeowners, contractors and trades matters.

The irony is that although I want to work late in the project, you should not wait until then to call me.

If you know you are renovating, start the conversation with your painter early. We can discuss the approximate timeline and reserve enough time for your project rather than discovering your walls are ready, and your preferred painter is already booked.

Why "We'll Just Touch It Up Later" Isn't Always a Good Plan

For years, a common renovation sequence involved painters completing their work, other trades returning afterward, and then the painters coming back for touch-ups.

That sounds efficient.

It isn't always.

Modern paint products, particularly certain colours and finishes, don’t necessarily touch up invisibly. Dark colours can be especially unforgiving.

You may repair a small damaged area and apply the exact same paint, yet once everything dries, you can still see where the repair was made. Depending on the paint, sheen, lighting and age of the original coating, achieving a consistent finish can require repainting the entire wall.

Now a tiny scrape has turned into patching, sanding and repainting from corner to corner.

That’s one reason I care so much about being among the last trades on site.

When I finish, I want the walls to be as close to perfect as we can make them. They occupy an enormous amount of visual space in a home. You may have spent heavily on stone countertops, custom cabinetry and beautiful flooring, but if the walls are covered in obvious patches and scuffs, you’ll notice them.

This becomes even more important when you’ve selected a sophisticated finish.

A dark matte wall can be stunning. It absorbs light differently and can give a room a rich, almost architectural quality. But some of those finishes are less forgiving of fingerprints, scuffs and repairs.

Choosing the right sheen for a room therefore matters. The Master Painters Institute provides professional coating standards and specifications that illustrate just how much goes into selecting and applying an appropriate coating system. Painting is not simply choosing a colour and putting it on the wall.

I discuss these considerations with clients before we begin so they understand not only how a finish will look, but also how it will live.

What Happens When Another Trade Damages a Finished Wall?

Accidents happen.

The more important question is what happens afterward.

If a wall has already been professionally completed and another trade damages it, repairing that damage can involve much more than brushing a little paint over the mark.

A gouge may need filling. Then it needs sanding. The repaired area may require priming. After that, we have to repaint, and depending on the finish, that could mean repainting the entire wall.

That takes time and materials.

On larger renovation projects, general contractors and project managers often understand that some allowance may be necessary for repairs and rework. When I have an established relationship with a contractor, we understand how these situations will be handled.

For a homeowner managing an individual renovation, I prefer to make expectations clear from the beginning.

If I have completed the agreed painting work and another contractor subsequently damages it, repairing that damage is additional work. Ideally, whoever caused the damage takes responsibility, and the general contractor determines how to handle the additional cost.

Fresh paint also deserves extra care because it doesn’t instantly reach its maximum hardness. A coating may feel dry relatively quickly while continuing to cure afterward. During that early period, everyone working in the house should treat finished walls carefully.

Don’t lean ladders against them. Don’t stack tools against them. And please be careful with tool belts around corners.

A little consideration can prevent hours of unnecessary repair work.

The Best Renovation Finish Comes Down to Timing

Renovations rarely unfold exactly according to the original calendar.

A material is delayed. One trade needs an extra day. Something unexpected is discovered behind a wall. The schedule shifts, and suddenly several trades are trying to work in the same space.

I understand that reality.

Sometimes I have to paint while electricians, plumbers, or other contractors still have work to do. When that happens, we work around one another as carefully as possible.

But if we can control the sequence, I want the majority of disruptive work completed before the final painting begins.

For a whole-home renovation, that also means making sure the surfaces themselves are actually ready. Drywall work needs to be completed and properly sanded. New drywall needs to be prepared and primed appropriately before the finish coats are applied.

The painter shouldn’t be an afterthought who receives a call saying, "The house is ready. Can you start tomorrow?"

By that point, the answer may be no.

The better approach is to bring your painter into the conversation early, establish the expected scope, and then coordinate the painting for the appropriate stage of the renovation.

That gives everyone room to do their work properly.

And when the project is finally complete, painting becomes one of the finishing layers that brings everything else together. The cabinetry, flooring, lighting, and countertops may be the features you spent months selecting, but the walls are the backdrop that connects them all.

If you are planning a renovation in Edmonton, St. Albert or the surrounding area, contact Walls Revived before your project reaches the painting stage. We can discuss your timeline, finishes and scope early, then plan the work so your painter arrives at the point when those final walls can stay final.