Interior Painting serving Spencer and Metro West MA.

According to Census ACS estimates, 29.4% of the town's 5,695 housing units, or 1,672, were built in 1939 or earlier, which makes that the largest single age bracket. Another 945 units come from the 1970s. Only 12.8%, about 727 units, date from 2000 or later. Inside, that means the surfaces you are painting range from old plaster and layered trim to drywall and prefinished moldings, sometimes in the same house after additions.

Trim and walls from the center village outward

The Massachusetts Historical Commission's 1983 reconnaissance survey describes the center village as holding well-preserved houses from 1830 to 1870, from modest gable-end Greek Revival houses to elaborately detailed Italianate and Second Empire dwellings. That survey is more than forty years old, so treat it as background rather than a current inventory. Detailed casings and baseboards in houses of that kind can carry many old coats of paint, which changes how the surfaces need to be prepared.

Chipped or alligatored trim gets scraped and sanded back to a sound edge, gaps are caulked, and bare spots are primed before the finish coat. Old plaster with hairline cracks gets patched and sealed, and ceilings that show stains are primed with a stain-blocking product so the mark does not return. If you are comparing sheens for each room, our interior paint finish comparison helps.

Lead dust and the 1978 line

An estimated 68.4% of Spencer's housing units, 3,898 of 5,695, were built before 1980. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule, paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home must be done by a certified firm using lead-safe practices, and sole proprietors are not exempt.

AJ Painting is licensed and insured and follows EPA RRP lead-safe practices. The practices EPA's rule calls for include containing the work area, avoiding open-flame burning and power sanding without dust control, and thorough cleanup afterward. Read more on the lead-safe painting page, and ask us at the estimate if you have a young child or someone who is pregnant in the home.

Two-families, three-deckers and apartments

Spencer's housing includes about 1,432 units in two-to-four-unit buildings (25.1%) and about 798 units in buildings of five or more (14.0%, with wide margins of error). The 1983 MHC survey also mentions some three-deckers in the center. In multi-unit buildings, shared stairwells, hallways and occupied neighboring units affect how a job is scheduled, so mention them when you book. The Census estimates 37.0% of Spencer's occupied units are renter-occupied.

Seasonal planning for indoor work

Interior work does not depend on dry weather the way exterior painting does, but cold months mean closed windows. Our posts on winter interior painting and ventilation with windows closed cover choosing low-odor products and airing out rooms. To get the house ready, see how to prepare your home for an interior paint job.

Getting an estimate

Request a visit and we reply within 24 hours. The on-site estimate is free, and you receive a written quote within 48 hours of the visit. For market benchmarks beforehand, use the Massachusetts interior painting cost guide or the cost-per-room data.