Preparing Walls in a New Build: How to Go About It

Most disappointments come from starting too soon. The order that works: first look at the walls and record their condition, then ventilate and let them dry, next deal with holes and seams, then apply a primer and only then put on the finish.

Look at the other trades too. Kitchen and floor preferably come after the painting. If the floor is already down, it has to be covered well, and not everything is as easy to reach any more. So plan it together with the rest. For a full overview of this situation you can go to our page about painting a new build house.

At handover pay attention to what your contract says, because that decides what the builder has to deliver. Hold a lamp along the wall: then you see exactly what will also come through the paint later. If the wall does not match what was agreed, you sort that out with the builder or plasterer before we put anything on it.

A new house is full of moisture from concrete, plaster and adhesive, even if the wall looks dry. If you close that wall off too early, the moisture looks for a way out: paint that blisters, wallpaper that comes loose, or dark patches that will not go away.

Count on weeks, not days, and with winter building rather longer. Ventilate daily, heat gently and do not turn the thermostat up high straight away. Heating too fast actually leads to more cracks. A painter measures the moisture in the wall before anything goes on. A first indication is given when windows mist up heavily in the morning: then there is still a lot of moisture in the house and waiting is sensible.

A house settles and dries in the first years. That produces hairline cracks, especially at the corners of windows and doors, and on the seams between wall and ceiling. That is usually not a structural problem, but on a crisply painted wall you do see them.

That is why many people choose a backing on the wall. With glass fibre wallpaper you get a sturdy layer with a light texture; with lining paper (renovlies) a smoother look. Both hide small cracks and are then painted over. Wallpaper is possible too, of course, but that is often a step for later, once the house has settled down a bit. If you still choose paint directly on the wall, you accept that some touching up may come later.

The finish stands or falls with the transitions. This is what we always do before we finish:

• fill nail holes and small damage and sand flat
• seal the seam between wall and ceiling crisply, so the line stays straight
• check the joints at window frames, window sills and skirting
• tape off sockets and switches or loosen them temporarily
• apply a primer, so the wall absorbs evenly and the finish dries evenly

If you skip the primer, you later see patches and differences in gloss, because one spot absorbs more paint than another. You only see that once the last coat is dry, and then it is too late to fix it cheaply.

New build can be planned well ahead, if we know in time what is going on. Send us:

• the floor plan or the square metres per room
• the delivery date and when the kitchen and floor go in
• what is on your delivery list: ready for wallpaper or ready for paint
• photos of the walls, including the corners and the seams
• your wishes for colour, and whether you want to see a texture

At the site visit we look at the walls and fit the work to the schedule of your move. The sooner we know, the easier it fits between the other trades on site.

The price depends on the condition of the walls, the chosen finish, the number of rooms and the height. An open void or a sloping side needs more than a rectangular room. As a national market indication walls start from €15 per m2 and applying lining paper or glass fibre also starts from €15 per m2. With us you get a fixed price after the site visit.

Mind the Dutch VAT: on a home younger than two years after first use 21 percent applies, later 9 percent. That can be a consideration in your planning, but do not wait so long that you sit in an unfinished house for half a year. More on that at the cost of lining paper (renovlies).

We have fitted a 150 m2 new build apartment with glass fibre wallpaper and paintwork, and the whole house in the move-in ready new build project shows what that looks like when delivered. Crisply painted hallways and bedrooms are part of it too.

Mohamed goes through the walls beforehand, gives a fixed quote and goes through everything with you afterwards. On Google we are rated 4.8 from 25 reviews, with many words about neat taping and clear communication. Getting the keys soon? Then ask for a site visit in good time through the quote page, so we can plan time around your delivery date.