Commercial Case Study

Church Interior Painting Project

Background

In September 2024, CertaPro Painters® of Clifton, NJ was hired to repaint the interior of a church in Paramus, NJ.

Project Overview

Condition Before Project Commencement:

The church was last painted over 20 years ago. Prior to the last repaint, the church went through a renovation where wallboard was installed on the ceilings and walls. At some point shortly after that, ghosting or dark lines appeared on the surfaces right along the supports. They tried to clean it off and even recoated the surfaces with different primers and paints, all without success.

Project Execution:

The project involved significant preparation, some drywall repairs as well as surface sealing and painting.

Challenges and Solutions

There were two significant challenges. The first was gaining access to the ceilings. There are 45′ ceiling peaks in the main entrance area and 30′ ceiling heights over the pews which are anchored into the floor and not moveable. The second challenge was finding a solution to the ghosting condition on the ceiling and walls.

Results

We purchased a special scaffolding tower that allowed us to safely access the 45′ peak ceilings in the main entrance area and it worked very well. That scaffolding is able to be used at different heights and it was a big help in the main church area as well. To solve the ghosting problem, we consulted our paint supplier for the project, Benjamin Moore and decided to try a moisture vapor barrier sealer prior to painting. We tested this out over 12 months prior to the start of the project to see if it would work and fortunately it did. The church has beautiful and very old stained glass that required careful protection to ensure it did not get damaged or any paint drips/splatter.

Conclusion

CertaPro Painters® of Clifton, NJ’s extraordinary results helped make the church more beautiful. The church went through such a significant transformation. The pastor, facilities manager, council, archdiocese, and parish are all very pleased. We worked closely with all parties to ensure that questions and concerns were addressed prior to and during the project. We had a team of 10 painters and 2 foremen on site for 10 consecutive days to complete the project and minimize disruption to the church.