Mostreno · Guides · Painting

The painting guide.

Finishes, colour, and the preparation that decides whether a paint job lasts two years or ten. Including the part most quotes leave out.

01Interior finishes

Sheen matters more than colour for how a wall wears.

The finish decides how a wall behaves: how much it reflects, how well it hides a defect, and whether it survives being wiped. Colour is the easy part.

Matte
No reflection at all. Hides an uneven wall better than anything else, and marks when scrubbed.
Eggshell
A trace of sheen. Wipeable, forgiving, and the right default for most rooms.
Satin
Noticeably smooth with a soft gloss. Good in kitchens and hallways.
Semi-gloss
Durable and moisture resistant. Skirting, doors, bathrooms.
High-gloss
Mirror-like and extremely tough. Shows every defect underneath it.

02Choosing colour

The step people rush and then live with.

Paint is the cheapest thing to change and the most visible thing to get wrong. Test properly, and test in the room it is going in.

01
Test on the actual wall
a 300mm patch on two different walls, looked at morning and evening. Never choose from a chip
02
Dubai daylight is strong and warm
cool greys read blue here, and off-whites read yellower than the fan deck suggests
03
Whites are not one colour
a warm white beside a cool white looks like a mistake rather than a scheme
04
Ceilings a shade lighter than the walls
the same white on both makes the ceiling look grey
05
Dark colours need more light, not less
they work in a room with good daylight and swallow a room without it

03Surface preparation

Where the quality of the job is actually decided.

Almost every complaint about a paint job is a preparation problem, not a paint problem. It is also the part that is invisible in a quote, which is why cheap quotes are cheap.

01
Inspect and make good
filler in every nail hole and hairline crack, then sanded flush. This is where a good job is won
02
Wash down
Dubai dust sits on everything. Paint over it and the paint comes off with it
03
Seal a new or handover wall
developer handover paint is a thin builder's emulsion over bare plaster and drinks the first coat. It needs a primer sealer or you will be paying for three coats
04
Spot-prime repairs
filler and bare plaster absorb differently to the wall around them, and show through as flat patches otherwise
05
Mask and protect
sockets off, edges taped, floors covered. The cost of not doing it is not the paint
06
Caulk the junctions
wall to skirting, wall to ceiling. It is the difference between tidy and sharp

04Exterior painting

Different paint, different problem.

Outside, paint is protection before decoration. Dubai sun degrades pigment and heat cycles the substrate daily, so exterior coatings are built to flex and to hold colour.

Flat / matte
Non-reflective across large elevations. Hides render imperfection.
Satin
Slight sheen with real added durability. The usual villa choice.
Semi-gloss
Trims, railings, gates and anything that gets handled.
Textured / masonry
Filled and flexible, for stucco and blockwork. Bridges hairline cracks.

05Decorative finishes

When a flat colour is not enough.

These are applied by hand in layers, so they are priced by the square metre of labour rather than by the tin. Best used on one wall, not four.

Venetian plaster
Lime plaster burnished in thin coats. Depth and a faint marble movement.
Brushed suede
Directional brush marks in a heavier paint. Soft, fabric-like texture.
Metallic sheen
Mica or metal flake in a glaze. Shifts as you move past it.
Colour washing
A translucent glaze dragged over a base coat. Two tones, softly blended.
Sponging
Glaze dabbed on with a sea sponge. Mottled, irregular, forgiving of a poor wall.
Rag rolling
A twisted cloth rolled through wet glaze. Coarser and more directional than sponging.

06Wallpaper

Pattern, texture, or an image that paint cannot give you.

Wallpaper needs a flatter wall than paint does, and the wall has to be sealed first or the paper will not come off cleanly when it is time to change it.

Types
Vinyl
Wipeable and tough. The only sensible choice in a hallway or a rental.
Geometric and pattern
Repeating print. Pattern repeat drives how much you have to buy.
3D textured
Raised relief. Hides an imperfect wall better than any paint.
Grasscloth and naturals
Woven fibre on a paper backing. Beautiful, and it marks.
Custom mural
Printed to your wall dimensions. One image, no repeat, no joins to match.
Finishes
Matte
Flat and quiet. Best for a large area.
Low sheen
A slight lift, easier to wipe.
Metallic
Reflective flecks that shift with the light.
Iridescent
Colour changes with viewing angle. Use sparingly.
Custom work
01
Stencils
a repeated motif applied by hand, cheaper than printed paper for a small area
02
Mural work
painted directly on the wall, one-off and not repeatable
03
Layered tone effects
two or three glazes over a base to build depth

07Coats, coverage and cost

How painting is actually priced.

Painting is quoted per square metre of wall, not per room, plus the items. Knowing the coverage tells you whether a quote has allowed for enough paint to do the job properly.

01
Two coats is the standard
one coat is a touch-up, not a paint job, and it will look patchy in raking light
02
Three coats for a strong colour change
anything going dark over light, or light over dark, needs it
03
About 10 to 12 m² per litre per coat
smooth plaster at the top of that range, textured at the bottom
04
Ceilings are priced separately
they are slower and more awkward than walls, not cheaper
05
Doors, frames and skirting are priced by the item
a room with six doors is not the same job as a room with one
06
Drying time between coats
4 to 6 hours in an air-conditioned room, longer if the humidity is high
Questions

What homeowners ask first.

How long does painting an apartment take in Dubai?

A two-bedroom apartment typically takes 3–5 working days for walls and ceilings, including preparation and drying between coats. A single room is usually one day.

Do I need to move out while you paint?

No. We work room by room and keep the rest of the home usable. Modern water-based paints have low odour and are dry to touch within a few hours.

Can you paint over the developer's handover paint?

Yes, but it needs sealing first. Handover paint is a thin builder's emulsion over bare plaster and it absorbs the first coat unevenly. Sealing costs less than the extra coat you would otherwise need.

How many coats do you apply?

Two as standard, three where the colour is changing significantly. One coat is a touch-up and will look patchy in raking light.

Do you supply the paint or can I choose my own?

Either. We can supply, or apply paint you have chosen and bought. If you are buying, tell us the finish as well as the colour — the sheen affects how much you need.

Get a quote

Tell us what needs painting.

Send the rooms and we'll come back with an itemised estimate — walls, ceilings and joinery priced separately, with the preparation listed rather than assumed.

Send it on

Fastest route. Photos of the walls tell us what preparation they need.

Message us

Or price it yourself first

The design tool prices painting by the square metre, coats included.

Open the design tool