Interior Painting in Stow, MA.

The Census median build year is 1974 (±4), the 1970s is the single largest decade at 491 units, and about 22% of units, 618 of 2,820, were built in 1939 or earlier, although that last estimate carries a margin of error of 211 units. Each era leaves different walls, ceilings and woodwork to deal with, and the prep depends on which one you have.

Roughly 80% of the town's housing units are single-family detached houses, so most interiors here are whole houses, with their own stairs, hallways and ceiling heights to plan for, not units in a shared building.

Lead dust comes first in older houses

Of the town's housing units, 1,683 (59.7%) were built in 1979 or earlier. The 1978 federal ban on residential lead paint falls inside that Census bracket, so some of those homes are newer than the ban, but many are not. Interior trim, window sashes, doors and baseboards are the places where old oil-based layers tend to survive under later coats.

When painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home are sanded or scraped, the EPA lead rule for renovation work applies. We follow EPA RRP lead-safe practices, covered in detail on our lead-safe painting page. Practical points for your household: keep children and pets out of the work area, and expect plastic sheeting, HEPA cleanup and wet methods rather than dry sanding.

Plaster, drywall and what sits underneath

Houses from the 1800s and early 1900s often have plaster over lath, which develops hairline cracks as framing moves through the seasons. Hairline cracks can be bridged with flexible patching and primer; loose or hollow-sounding plaster needs to be re-secured or cut out first, or the paint will carry the problem straight back to the surface.

Houses from the 1970s onward more often have drywall, where the issues look different: visible tape seams, nail pops and textured ceilings.

A tip for any age of wall is to point out stains before the estimate. A ceiling stain that returns after painting usually means the leak is still active, and the ceiling stain and ice dam article explains why that source has to be found first.

Farmhouse rooms, additions and trim

The town's 2010 Master Plan lists historic dwellings and farmhouses among its housing, and the state's heritage inventory counts nearly 200 historic resources. In a house that old, walls may be out of plumb, ceilings may slope slightly, and trim profiles can change from one room to the next after additions.

That variety makes the finish carpentry as important as the paint. Gaps between baseboards and uneven floors, cracked caulk at crown molding and decades of paint buildup on door casings all show once a fresh coat goes on. Stripping heavy buildup on detailed trim, or filling and sanding it back to a crisp edge, is the difference between a room that looks repainted and one that looks restored.

Pick sheens with that in mind. Flat or matte hides wavy plaster better, while satin or semi-gloss on trim cleans up easily and shows imperfections less when the surface is properly prepared.

Planning around a house that is lived in

An interior project has to fit around the household living in the house. Room-by-room sequencing, furniture moves and drying time for each coat are worth discussing before the job starts. In winter, closed windows slow drying and concentrate fumes, so see our notes on painting interiors with closed windows.

If you are repainting for a sale, the choice of color matters as much as the quality of the prep. Our MetroWest color notes show what is currently being used in the region.