Interior Painting in Malden, MA.

Census estimates put the median Malden home's construction year at 1950, and 45.1% of the city's 27,876 housing units were built in 1939 or earlier. That second number matters most indoors. Rooms finished before gypsum board became the norm after World War II were generally plastered, and plaster ages differently from drywall: hairline cracks along ceilings, loose patches near door frames, and decades of paint layers on the trim.

So an interior job here often starts with a walk through each room to decide what gets patched, what gets skimmed, and what is sound enough to simply wash, sand and paint.

Plaster walls and ceilings

Cracks in old plaster come in two kinds. Fine cracks in a stable surface can be routed out, taped where needed and filled. Plaster that has let go of its lath moves when you press on it, and painting over it only hides the problem until the next season of heating and drying. That section needs to be reattached with plaster washers and adhesive, or cut out and patched, before any finish coat.

Ceilings deserve their own look. A ceiling that shows a map of old patches under raking light usually needs a skim coat to read as one surface again, and a flat ceiling paint hides minor waves better than anything with sheen.

• Crack repair and reattaching loose plaster before painting
• Skim coating patched ceilings
• Stripping or sanding built-up paint on trim and doors where needed
• Primer selected for the surface: bare plaster, patch compound or old oil paint

Lead paint on trim, windows and doors

By the census count, 70.9% of the housing here dates from before 1980, the closest decade break to the 1978 federal ban on lead in house paint. Indoors, the risk concentrates where painted surfaces rub or get chewed: window sashes and stools, door edges, stair treads and baseboards. Sanding those without containment spreads fine dust through the house.

Federal EPA rules require certified lead-safe practices when a contractor disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing. Our lead-safe painting page explains the plastic, misting and HEPA cleanup involved. Income-eligible owners can also look at the city's Lead and Healthy Homes Program, which funds lead-hazard work such as replacing lead-painted windows and doors, with priority for homes where children under six live.

Two-families, rentals and occupied units

Some 33.6% of the city's units sit in buildings with two to four units, and renters occupy 58.7% of occupied homes. If you own a two-family and live in one side, the vacant stretch between tenants is the easiest time to paint the other unit, since empty rooms go fast. Painting your own floor while you live in it is slower: one or two rooms at a time, furniture moved to the center, and bedrooms finished early in the day so they can air out.

Stairways and halls that both units use are worth scheduling separately, since nobody can avoid walking through them.

Newer construction

Not every interior here is old. About 15.2% of units were built in 2000 or later, typically with drywall walls. Where the original flat builder-grade coat is still up, it marks easily; those rooms need less repair and more attention to finish choice: an eggshell or matte enamel on walls in hallways and kitchens survives scrubbing far better than the original coat.

If the same building also needs work outside, see the exterior painting page. Kitchen cabinets are covered on the cabinet painting page.