Painting & plaster

What proper painting actually involves

• Prep and primer. Old wallpaper or flaking paint is stripped, cracks are filled, the surface is primed. Without primer the skim does not bond and paint goes on patchy.
• Plastering. If walls are uneven, plaster is applied by hand or machine (gypsum for dry rooms, cement for wet zones and facades). Leveling to guide rails gives perfectly square corners.
• Skim coat (שפכטל). Two or three finish skim coats with primer between layers. Under wallpaper two coats are enough; under paint you need a truly smooth "lamp-test" surface — three coats with sanding.
• Sanding and paint-grade primer. Final sanding, dust removal and a consolidating primer. Budget crews skip this step — later the paint peels off together with the skim.
• Painting. At least two coats of acrylic or latex emulsion by roller. Dark saturated colors may need three. Ceilings are painted before the walls, not after.

5 marks of a professional painter

• Proper process. The pro never skips primer between layers, sands the skim and checks walls under side light before painting — every defect is visible under a lamp.
• Quality materials. Knows when Tambour Supercryl is required and when a budget emulsion is fine; distinguishes gypsum from polymer skim; understands which primer suits which substrate.
• Clean work. Covers floors and furniture, uses painter's tape, masks outlets and baseboards. After the job there are no paint drips on floors or windows.
• Tools. Rollers with the correct nap for each paint, telescopic poles for ceilings, professional trowels, a vacuum-connected sander — this is standard kit for an experienced pro.
• Portfolio and references. An experienced painter has photos of finished projects and real client reviews. On KABLAY this shows up right in the specialist's profile.

Most requested services

• Turnkey apartments: plaster and skim on all walls and ceilings, 2-3 paint coats, slopes, door and window painting.
• Individual rooms: bedroom, living room, nursery or kitchen painting; repainting a single wall as an accent.
• Ceilings: skim on drywall and concrete ceilings, matte or silk emulsion paint, multi-level constructions.
• Window and door slopes: plaster and paint after glazing replacement.
• Decorative finishes: Venetian plaster, travertine, Moroccan style, micro-cement, "bark beetle" texture, wall art and murals.
• Exterior work: facade painting, fences, wooden houses, painting of radiators and heating pipes.

Painter prices in Israel

• Skim under wallpaper — from ₪28/m², under paint — from ₪38/m². Hand plaster up to 2cm — from ₪55/m², machine plaster — from ₪45/m². Primer — from ₪12/m².
• Emulsion wall painting, 2 coats — from ₪28/m², ceiling — from ₪32/m². Slopes — from ₪65/m. Interior door painting — from ₪320 each, radiator — from ₪180 each.
• Decorative travertine — from ₪110/m², Venetian plaster — from ₪180/m², micro-cement — from ₪220/m². Wall art — from ₪850/m², 3D panels — from ₪2,400/m².
• Turnkey facade painting for a single-storey house with primer and two coats — from ₪95/m² of wall area. The full price list with dozens of services is on the "Painter prices" page.

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