Interior Painting in Sturbridge, MA.

The town's 2023 historic preservation plan describes wood-frame capes and Federal and Georgian houses from 1775 to 1830, Greek Revival and Italianate mill housing in Fiskdale and Snellville, and a large body of Ranch, mid-century Cape and Contemporary homes since 1945. Interior painting differs in each, and the prep matters more than the paint color.

The Census Bureau counts 4,405 housing units in town, with a median build year of 1982. Roughly 11.5% (507 units) date from 1939 or earlier, and 47.3% were built before 1980. Those two numbers frame most of what follows.

Old wood-frame houses: trim, walls and layered paint

In a house from the Federal or early industrial period, paint may be many layers deep. Window casings, doors and baseboards may carry layers that have filled in the profile of the molding. Heavy scraping can damage the wood, so the usual approach is to feather edges, fill gaps and use primer that bonds to old oil-based coats.

Walls in houses this age may be plaster, which cracks seasonally and takes patching differently from drywall. A hairline crack that returns after patching generally calls for a flexible filler or mesh tape rather than another coat of joint compound. Ceilings with stains need to be sealed before finish coats, or the stain will come through.

• Check the molding profile before sanding, since thick old paint can hide details
• Seal water stains with a stain-blocking primer
• Pick sheens that suit the wall surface: flatter on imperfect plaster, satin or semi-gloss on trim

Lead-safe practices for pre-1978 homes

Census data cannot tell us the exact share of Sturbridge homes built before 1978, because it groups years by decade. It does show 2,082 of 4,405 units built before 1980. Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting program, firms paid to disturb paint in pre-1978 housing must be certified, a requirement the agency says covers sole proprietorships too.

AJ Painting is licensed and insured and uses EPA RRP lead-safe practices. Lead-safe work practices include plastic containment, wet methods and a thorough cleanup rather than dry sweeping. Our lead-safe painting page covers the details, and it is worth reading before any work starts.

Ranches, 1980s homes and newer construction

Census counts show 780 homes built in the 1980s, 482 in the 1990s and 826 in 2000 through 2009. Interiors from those years are mostly drywall, and the prep list is different: nail pops, visible tape seams and scuffed flat paint.

Only 235 units, about 5.3%, were built in 2010 or later. In those homes, the main variable is how well the existing paint holds up to washing.

Condos, mobile homes and rentals

Single-family detached houses make up 78.5% of units, according to census data, but 515 units sit in buildings of five or more, and about 4% are mobile homes. In a condo or HOA community, check the association's rules on contractor hours, parking and elevator or hallway use before scheduling. Renters occupy 13.7% of occupied units, so a rental owner may need to coordinate with a tenant.

How a project runs

The estimate visit is free. We reply within 24 hours of your request and send a written quote within 48 hours of the visit. Have your room list, ceiling heights, known repairs and trim in mind so the quote covers all of it. On the job itself, furniture should be gathered and covered, floors protected, and patching and sanding finished before primer. Color choices are easiest to make with a sample on the wall in the room's own light.