Painting woodwork – doors, skirting, stairs and kitchen doors

What painting woodwork involves

Painting woodwork means painting interior joinery: doors and frames, architraves, skirting boards and cornices, window boards, stairs, banisters, wardrobes and kitchen cabinet doors. These surfaces are exposed to a lot of wear and need to be wipeable, so the demands on adhesion and hardness are higher than for walls.

The work consists of cleaning and degreasing, sanding or keying the old paint, filling holes and damage, caulking against walls, priming and usually two coats of joinery paint. Doors and cabinet doors can sometimes be removed and painted lying flat or spray-painted for a smoother finish.

What affects the price?

Woodwork painting is often priced per item or per running metre. Ask for a quote. Factors that affect the price are:

• The number of doors, cabinet doors and metres of skirting.
• Whether the surfaces are flat or profiled with lots of detail.
• The condition and type of the old paint.
• Whether doors and cabinet doors are painted in place or removed and sprayed.
• Stairs and banisters, which require a lot of handwork and planning so they can be used during the work.
• A change of colour, which may require more coats.

Choice of paint and sheen

Woodwork is usually painted with a water-based or alkyd-based joinery paint in a semi-gloss or gloss finish, as it withstands wear and is easy to wipe. Stairs and floors require a floor paint or lacquer that can cope with foot traffic.

If the old paint is oil-based or glossy, it needs keying and often priming with an adhesion primer. Ask the painter how they test adhesion. Kitchen doors with foil or melamine require special pre-treatment, and not all such doors are suitable for painting.

Safety and older paint

In older houses, old layers of paint on woodwork may contain lead. Sanding such paint creates hazardous dust, so the work must be done with dust-limiting methods and protective equipment, and the waste must be disposed of correctly. Ask the company how they deal with this.

Make sure the rooms are ventilated during and after painting, especially if solvent-based products are used. Follow the manufacturer's instructions on drying time before doors are closed and cabinet doors used.

ROT tax deduction

The labour cost of painting woodwork in your home normally qualifies for the ROT deduction of 30 %. Paint and materials do not qualify. If cabinet doors or doors are taken to the painter's own workshop and painted there, ROT does not apply to that work, since work carried out in the company's own premises does not qualify. ROT is capped at SEK 50,000 per person per year, within the overall cap of SEK 75,000 for ROT and RUT.

What the quote should include

• Number of doors, cabinet doors, window boards, stair treads and metres of skirting.
• Preparation: cleaning, sanding, filling, caulking and priming.
• Paint type, brand, colour, sheen and number of coats.
• Whether anything is removed or sprayed, and where the work is carried out.
• Protection of floors, walls and fittings, and cleaning.
• Labour and materials listed separately plus the estimated ROT deduction.
• Timetable and when the surfaces can be used again.

Questions to ask and common mistakes

Ask how they pre-treat your particular old paint, whether they roll, brush or spray and how they avoid brush marks and runs. Ask for photos of previous jobs with similar surfaces.

Common mistakes include painting without keying and degreasing so that the paint peels, using wall paint on woodwork, forgetting to caulk against the wall so that gaps show and closing doors and cabinet doors before the paint has cured so that they stick.

Getting quotes via Fixtorget

Roughly count how many doors, cabinet doors and metres of skirting are involved, and upload photos when you describe the job on Fixtorget. Up to four vetted painting firms can contact you. It is free for you, and you can compare the companies' cost specifications before you decide.

Frequently asked questions