Interior Painting in Lausanne

Looking for a tradesperson to do interior painting in Lausanne usually means freshening up a flat in an older building, preparing a home before moving out or restoring a damaged room. This matching service passes your request on to painting companies in the region, who contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote. This page describes what the city changes for painting work in a home, from the Cité down to the shores of Ouchy.

The most common painting jobs in Lausanne homes

The painter’s trade, which rests on a CFC (Swiss federal vocational certificate), covers far more than applying a roller. In Lausanne, requests often revolve around a few cases:

• repainting the walls and ceilings of a flat between two tenants or before a sale;
• repairing cracks and renovating plaster on old walls;
• hanging or removing wallpaper, or replacing it with paint;
• treating a surface damp mark before repainting;
• repainting woodwork, doors, window frames and radiators.

One rule applies everywhere: the quality of the result is decided in the preparation of the surface. In a city home, where many buildings have already been repainted several times, the successive coats, old wallpaper adhesive and shrinkage cracks take time to deal with before the first finishing coat.

Older buildings, sloping districts: what Lausanne changes for painting

Lausanne is built on a slope between Lake Geneva, on the Ouchy side, and the upper parts of the city. This topography is reflected inside the buildings: many homes are spread over split levels, with narrow stairwells and floors reachable only on foot. For a painter, this affects how materials, ladders and light scaffolding are brought in. Mention the floor, whether there is a lift and the parking options nearby: these details influence how the job is organised and therefore the quote.

Around the cathedral, the old town of the Cité contains buildings from a different era than the lakeside blocks or residential districts. Old walls, sometimes uneven, absorb moisture and cope badly with a paint that does not let the surface breathe. The choice of product is discussed with the company on site: an unsuitable paint on an old wall can blister or flake. In the narrow lanes, natural light is also weaker, which matters when choosing a colour.

Homes close to the lake experience damper air, while the upper parts of the city are more exposed to wind. In both cases, spotting an area that stains again after repainting is a sign that the cause of the damp has not been dealt with: paint is no substitute for repairing a leak or a ventilation fault. A good painter’s quote starts with that observation.

Lausanne is also a university city, close to UNIL and EPFL, and the seat of the International Olympic Committee. In such a context, many homes are rented, sometimes to occupants who change regularly. Restoration between two tenants and freshening up before letting are therefore common, and key handover schedules are often tight. Tell the company your deadline from the first conversation.

Before 1990: asbestos, lead and sanding

In a building constructed before 1990, old coatings may contain asbestos or lead. They are dangerous only when disturbed: sanding, scraping or drilling releases dust. That is why a survey must come before any sanding in an older home, even for a simple repaint. If the survey is positive, the job is organised differently, with protective measures and supervised waste disposal. In Lausanne, where a large part of the housing stock is old, it is better to raise the question early than to discover the problem on site.

Renting, co-ownership, protected buildings: who decides what

If you are a tenant. Restoration at the end of the lease follows the rules of normal wear and tear: what comes from ordinary ageing is not your responsibility, unlike damage that goes beyond that wear. Reread your lease and the move-in inspection report before ordering work, and do not repaint as a precaution a room that normal wear explains. For work you wish to have done during the tenancy (new colour, wallpaper), obtain the agreement of the landlord or property manager.

If you are an owner in a co-ownership. The interior of your unit is in principle your responsibility, but the common parts (stairwell, facade, balconies) fall under the co-ownership and its decisions. Check your building’s regulations before requesting work that affects the exterior.

If your home is in a protected area. Facades in the old town may be subject to colours imposed by the municipality. This mainly concerns exterior painting, but it is worth checking if shutters, windows or surrounds are also being repainted. In Lausanne, the municipality issues building permits; for a simple interior refresh, no authorisation is in principle needed, but this should be confirmed with the competent municipal department, particularly for a building of heritage value. In the canton of Vaud, the file goes through the cantonal permit centre (CAMAC) when State departments need to give an opinion.

Preparing your request and comparing painting quotes

The more precise your description, the more comparable the quotes. For your request, state:

1. the district address, the floor and whether there is a lift;
2. the approximate year the building was constructed;
3. the number of rooms, the ceiling height and the surfaces to be treated, ceilings included;
4. the condition of the walls: cracks, old wallpaper, stains, blistering;
5. the woodwork and radiators to be repainted;
6. your situation (tenant, owner, co-owner) and the date by which the home must be ready.

A useful quote details the preparation (floor protection, filling, sanding, plaster), the number of coats, the type of paint, waste disposal and putting furniture back if it is moved. Compare the lines one by one rather than the total: a lower price may simply leave out a plaster layer or a coat. The cost varies mainly with the surface area, the condition of the surfaces, accessibility and the type of finish.

You can describe your project now to request a quote. The companies that receive your request will then contact you; you remain free to compare them and to follow up on none of them.

Going further in Lausanne and the canton of Vaud

• interior painting: the general page for the trade;
• works in Lausanne: all the work in the municipality;
• canton of Vaud: the canton’s rules and reference points;
• tiling in Lausanne, masonry in Lausanne and windows and double glazing in Lausanne: other work often combined with repainting.