ᐅ Painting work for new construction with Q2 drywall finishes

Good evening,

Next summer, our 130m2 (1,400 sq ft) house will be completed. The walls will be delivered at level 2 finish (Q2). Since we are complete beginners, we are now wondering how to treat these walls. It is certain that we want a professional company to do all the work.

Our first idea is to have the walls in the finished attic wallpapered with woodchip and then painted.

On the upper floor (bathroom, children’s room, bedroom, and office), we would also prefer woodchip wallpaper. Mainly because we think it is less prone to damage from children and cats. Or can you recommend good alternatives?

On the ground floor, we are considering having the living room walls plastered to level 4 finish (Q4) to create a more attractive surface than just woodchip wallpaper.

The two stairwells and hallways would also be skim-coated to Q4, as we were advised not to use wallpaper there due to high wear and tear, especially on the stairs.

However, we don’t yet have any ideas on how to further treat the walls finished to Q4.

Does anyone have good tips for wall design?

I think fiberglass mesh wallpaper might be too vulnerable, especially because of the cats. If they scratch it, it certainly won’t be easy to repair.

Can you paint directly onto Q4 plaster?

I also like textured or patterned plaster. Do the walls have to be finished to Q4 for that?

I hope you can help me with advice, feedback, etc.

We have budgeted around 10,000 euros for this. Does that sound somewhat realistic?

Um, what do you all like? Some can’t stand textured wallpaper, while others want only the sunset-themed wallpaper. In the end, everything has its pros and cons, but after 3 years it doesn’t look good anyway and you want something different.

Finn_Me schrieb:

Good evening,

Our 130m2 (1400 sq ft) house will be completed next summer. The walls will be handed over at level 2 (Q2). Since we are complete beginners, we are now wondering how we should finish them. One thing is clear: we want a company to do all the work.

Our first idea is to have the expandable attic wallpapered with woodchip wallpaper and painted.

On the upper floor (bathroom, children's room, bedroom, and office), we would also prefer woodchip wallpaper. Mainly because, in our opinion, it is less prone to damage with kids and cats. Or can you recommend better alternatives?

On the ground floor, we are considering having the living room plastered at level 4 (Q4) to create a nicer finish than with woodchip wallpaper.

We would also like to have the two staircases and hallways skimmed at level 4 (Q4), as we were advised not to use wallpaper there due to heavy wear, especially in the stair areas.

However, we have no idea yet how to further treat the level 4 (Q4) walls.

Does anyone have good tips for wall design?

I think paintable fleece wallpaper is too delicate, especially because of the cats. If they scratch it, it probably can’t be easily repaired.

Is it possible to paint directly on level 4 (Q4) plaster?

I also like textured or coarse plaster finishes. Do the walls have to be skimmed to level 4 (Q4) for that?

I hope you can help me with tips, feedback, etc.

We have budgeted around 10,000 euros. Does that sound somewhat realistic?

We received our 150m2 (1600 sq ft) house at level 2 (Q2) as well, but it should be noted that level 2 (Q2) quality can vary, according to the building inspector. Nevertheless, even with level 2 (Q2), there were still some minor defects that needed to be fixed, but nothing serious. Moving from level 2 (Q2) to level 4 (Q4) requires a lot of work, and therefore money.

Given what you want to do, the estimate tends more towards 15,000 euros, but it also depends heavily on your location (urban or rural area?).

So if you want to paint the wall directly without applying wallpaper or another layer of plaster, I would recommend Q4, otherwise Q3 is usually sufficient.

There are nice "texture paints" mixed with a kind of sand that create a rough surface on the wall, without the pigments settling on the floor.

I believe these are quite durable and look good for a long time, although they tend to be somewhat more expensive than regular paints.

I wouldn’t recommend using textured wallpaper (like "Raufaser") in the bathroom, as I don’t think it suits a modern bathroom style. Textured wallpaper can be quite delicate, especially if you have cats. However, because of its texture, repairs can be done quite easily and with minimal visibility.

The kids probably won’t mind the wallpaper at all, so there’s really no issue with using textured wallpaper if you’re okay with it. Alternatively, you could consider using a nice photo mural on one wall in each of the children’s rooms.

Children is a good keyword. If there are toddlers around, choose a surface that you can easily paint over yourself. Friends have wallpaper with a baroque pattern... you can still see the child’s doodles on it, and of course, you can’t just paint over it...