Interior painting
Walls, ceilings, woodwork and joinery in offices, shops and common areas, with substrate preparation: washing, filling, sanding, undercoat.
Construction & works
Painting, flooring and tiling for business premises: find your contractor
Office painting, resilient flooring, workshop resin floors, tiling: describe your surfaces and compare quotes from painting and floor and wall covering firms.
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Paint and floor and wall coverings give premises their final appearance, but they also serve precise functions: protecting substrates, withstanding forklift traffic, making cleaning easier, meeting hygiene, fire safety or slip-resistance requirements. A badly chosen workshop floor deteriorates within months; poorly prepared paint blisters or flakes.
The painter and decorator deals with walls, ceilings and woodwork, inside and out; the floor layer installs resilient floors (PVC, linoleum, carpet tiles); the tiler lays tiles; specialist firms install the resin floors of workshops, commercial kitchens and car parks. Many combine several of these skills, and it is substrate preparation that separates a durable job from one that has to be redone.
This page helps you prepare a complete request for quotes: services, products, price factors, points to watch. Painting and coverings come last in the order of trades: for a full fit-out, see plastering and insulation, refurbishment of premises and all the building trades.
Common services
Exterior painting and facades
Painting or coating of facades, guardrails and metal elements, after cleaning and crack treatment, with scaffolding or a cherry picker if needed.
Technical paints
Anti-corrosion paints for metal, intumescent paints to protect structures from fire, anti-mould, washable paints for damp environments, anti-graffiti.
Resin floors and floor paint
Epoxy, polyurethane or methacrylate (MMA) resins for workshops, warehouses, commercial kitchens and car parks, with floor markings.
Resilient flooring
Glued installation of PVC sheet or tile flooring, linoleum and carpet tiles, with coved skirtings and heat-welded joints.
Tiling
Floor and wall tiles, porcelain stoneware, mosaic for toilets, kitchens, halls and shopfronts, laid with adhesive or in a mortar bed.
Substrate preparation
Self-levelling screed, sanding, shot blasting, damp-proof primer, filling: the substrate determines the service life of the covering.
Wall coverings
Glass fibre cloth, washable vinyl coverings, wall protection for corridors and circulation areas.
Products and coverings used
Water-based acrylic paints (matt, satin, gloss)Polyurethane paints and lacquers for demanding substratesBonding primers and undercoatsEpoxy, polyurethane and MMA resinsPVC sheet or tile flooring, linoleumCarpet tilesPorcelain stoneware tiles, glazed wall tiles and mosaicAdhesives, tile mortars, grouts and levelling compoundsGlass fibre cloth and vinyl wall coverings
Types of premises and clients
- Offices: repainting floors, resilient flooring or carpet tiles
- Shops: hard-wearing floors, painting the sales floor before opening
- Workshops and warehouses: resin floors, floor paint and traffic markings
- Commercial kitchens and food production: seamless floors, coved skirtings, non-slip tiles
- Restaurants, hotels, residences: painting and coverings for common areas and rooms
- Buildings run by managing agents: halls, stairwells, car parks
- Landlords: restoring premises between tenants
What affects the price
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1
Condition and preparation of the substrate
Filling, sanding, levelling, damp treatment, removal of the old covering: these items often weigh heavily in the budget and determine durability.
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2
Surface area and height
Surface area, ceiling height, number of rooms, cut-outs and corners: a large simple volume is priced differently from a partitioned floor; height calls for scaffolding or a cherry picker.
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3
System and product range
Number of coats, resistance required (chemical, mechanical, fire), product quality: a workshop resin or a washable paint does not cost the same as a decorative paint.
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4
Removal, protection and making good
Removing the old floor, protecting and moving furniture, cleaning at the end of the job: these sometimes forgotten items vary greatly from one quote to another.
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5
Operations and drying times
Night or weekend working, phasing by zone, drying or curing time before return to service: organisation weighs as much as materials.
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6
Layout and finishes
Tiling: format, setting out, cuts, grout joints, skirtings; painting: multiple colours, careful finishes. These choices change the installation time and material waste.
Tips for a successful request
Post a request- State the areas by room or zone, the ceiling height and the current condition of the substrates, with photos of walls, floors and damaged areas.
- Describe the use: foot or forklift traffic, chemicals, water, high-pressure cleaning, hygiene requirements; the covering is chosen according to these constraints.
- Specify the colours (RAL chart, manufacturer references), the finishes (matt, satin) and the areas to protect or leave untouched.
- Mention the age of the building and whether an asbestos or lead survey exists: old coverings may contain them.
- Say whether the premises remain occupied and which slots are possible (night, weekend, annual shutdown): the firm will adapt products and phasing.
- Ask for the quote to itemise preparation, the number of coats or the system, removal, disposal and end-of-job cleaning.
Preparing the substrate: the key to a durable covering
Most defects (paint that blisters, a glued floor that lifts, tiles that crack) come from the substrate: damp, dust, a poorly bonded old covering, insufficient flatness. Good practice is set out in France’s unified technical documents (DTU): NF DTU 59.1 for painting work, NF DTU 53.2 for glued PVC floors, NF DTU 52.2 for glued tile installation. Ask the firm to follow them.
On a new slab, drying takes time: the firm measures residual moisture before gluing, and a damp-proof primer may be needed. On an old floor or ceiling, sanding or removal raises dust. In an older building, old adhesives, vinyl tiles or plasters may contain asbestos, and old paints may contain lead in buildings constructed before 1949. In France, the pre-works asbestos survey is mandatory in the buildings concerned, and it is prudent to have lead tested: never have anything sanded before you have this information.
Finally, respect the order of trades: plastering, electrics and plumbing first, painting and coverings last. A floor laid before the other trades will be damaged; coordinate with plastering and insulation and windows, doors and shutters on the schedule.
Choosing the right covering for the use
The same floor does not suit an office and a commercial kitchen. Here are guidelines by use, to be validated with the firm:
| Use of the premises | Common covering | Points to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Offices, light traffic | PVC flooring, linoleum or carpet tiles | Acoustics, maintenance, replacement tile by tile |
| Workshop, warehouse, forklifts | Epoxy or polyurethane resin, treated slab | Mechanical and chemical resistance, flatness, joints |
| Commercial kitchen, food production | Resin or non-slip tiles, coved skirtings | Hygiene, water drainage, thermal shock |
| Toilets, changing rooms | Tiles or PVC flooring with welded joints | Slip resistance, waterproofing, floor drains |
Several criteria can be checked on the data sheets: the UPEC classification of floors (wear, indentation, water, chemicals; a French rating system), the slip-resistance classification (R9 to R13), and, in a public-access building in France, the reaction-to-fire classification with its test report. Construction and decoration products also carry an indoor air emissions label in France, from A+ to C: choose the best classes for premises occupied all day.
Guarantees, acceptance of the works and comparing quotes
The applicable guarantee depends on the nature of the work. Repainting for decoration is in principle not covered by the ten-year guarantee (garantie décennale in France), but the firm remains liable for its work and must hold professional liability insurance. A covering that provides waterproofing or protection of the structure, or work whose defects make the premises unfit for use, may fall under it. In every case, ask for the insurance certificate, with the activities covered.
At handover, check the paint in raking light, the uniformity of colours, the touch-ups, the flatness of the floor, the tile joints and the adhesion of skirtings. List any snagging items in the acceptance report; the one-year completion guarantee (garantie de parfait achèvement) runs from handover. Ask for the product and colour references, for any touch-ups, and the manufacturer’s care instructions.
To compare, check the specification used (see the glossary), the system proposed (product, number of coats, thickness), preparation, removal, lead time and return to service; the request for quote page details these points. On Meaflow, you post your requirement free of charge and receive quotes from firms. Post your painting and coverings request.
Suppliers: painting & finishes
Guides to go further
Comparing three subcontracting quotes without getting it wrong
Scope, assumptions, unit price and fixed costs, lead time, terms, quality, Incoterm: the method and the grid to compare three quotes on an identical basis.
Related expertise
Plastering & insulation
Partitions, false ceilings, dry lining, thermal and acoustic insulation
Premises refurbishment
Refurbishment and fit-out of offices, shops and workshops
Joinery & closures
Doors, windows, shutters, gates, roller shutters
Odd jobs & emergency repairs
Multi-trade interventions, emergency repairs, building maintenance
Frequently asked questions
A question not answered here? Visit the help centre or write to us.
Is ten-year liability insurance needed for painting or flooring work?
It depends on the nature of the work. Simple repainting for decoration is in principle not covered by the ten-year guarantee in France, but the firm remains liable and must hold professional liability insurance. A covering that provides waterproofing or protection of the structure may fall under it. Ask for the insurance certificate and check the activities covered.
What is the difference between a painter, a floor layer and a tiler?
The painter prepares and paints walls, ceilings and joinery, and sometimes fits wall coverings. The floor layer installs resilient floors. The tiler lays tiles. Resin floors are done by specialist firms. For a complete refurbishment, you can choose an all-trades contractor, with a single point of contact, or coordinate each trade yourself.
How long does it take to repaint or refloor premises?
As a guide, painting an office floor takes a few days to two weeks depending on the area and phasing, and a resilient floor a few days. A resin floor needs, before return to service, a curing time of a few hours to several days depending on the system, on a dry substrate. Allow for these lead times from the consultation stage.
Can you redo a floor or repaint without stopping your business?
Yes, if the job is organised by zone and by time slot: night, weekend or annual shutdown. Water-based paints and low-emission products limit odours; resins and solvents require ventilation or evacuating the area. Ask the firm for the phasing, the products envisaged with their emissions label and the times before return to service.
How can you tell if an old floor contains asbestos?
You cannot tell by eye: only a pre-works survey, carried out by a competent operator at the request of the client, can establish it. It applies in particular to old vinyl tiles, their adhesives and certain plasters in older buildings. Do not have an old covering sanded or ripped up before you have this survey, and pass it to the firm.
Which covering should you choose for a workshop or warehouse floor?
It depends on the loads, the traffic (forklifts, pallet trucks), chemicals, water and the flatness of the slab. Epoxy or polyurethane resins are common; MMA systems cure quickly to limit downtime. Ask for a description of the system (thickness, coats, resistances), not just the name of the resin, and have the substrate checked.
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