Renovating a flat in Geneva: the order of works and where painting fits

The order of works: logic, not chance

Renovating a flat is not a list of independent tasks: it is a chain. Each trade prepares the ground for the next, and bringing a trade in too early — or too late — is costly in reworks. The underlying rule is simple: you start with what makes a mess, breaks things and opens up the walls, and you finish with what shows.

Here is the typical sequence of a flat renovation in Geneva, from the start to handover:

Stage	Phase	What happens
1	Strip-out, demolition	Removing old finishes, taking down partitions, stripping back
2	Structure, masonry	New partitions, openings, masonry repairs
3	Services	Electrics, plumbing and sanitary: chases, conduits, supplies
4	Plastering, false ceilings	Renders, linings, false ceilings, surfaces ready to paint
5	Painting	Surface preparation, then painting walls and ceilings
6	Floor coverings	Parquet, tiling — generally after painting
7	Kitchen, sanitary, joinery	Fitting equipment and fine joinery
8	Touch-ups, cleaning	Finishing repairs, handover cleaning

This logic applies to a full renovation. On a lighter project — a simple refresh before moving in — many stages fall away, and painting becomes the main part of the job.

Before painting: demolition, services and plastering

The first phases of a renovation are the most brutal for the home, and deliberately so. You open up before you close back.

Strip-out and demolition — old finishes are removed, partitions to be taken down are demolished, surfaces are stripped back. This is the messiest phase: no finish belongs here.

Structure and masonry — building new partitions, forming openings, repairing masonry. In the older Geneva housing stock (buildings in Eaux-Vives, the Jonction, Saint-Jean), these repairs are common, because the fabric has lived.

Electrical and sanitary services — this is the key stage that governs everything else. Chases in the walls, the routing of conduits and water supplies must be done before closing back and rendering. Reopening an already-painted wall to run a forgotten cable means going three stages back.

Plastering and false ceilings — once the services are in place, the plasterer closes back up: renders, linings, false ceilings. At the end of this phase the surfaces are geometrically ready — but not yet ready to paint. New plaster or render must first dry all the way through: that is exactly the subject of coats, drying and paint smell.

These trades — electrics, plumbing, tiling, masonry, plastering — are not Renovhome SA’s work. Our involvement begins when these surfaces are ready.

Painting: the major finishing stage

This is where our trade fits. After the plastering and the routing of services, before the final floors are laid: painting is the first major finishing stage, the one that turns a bare volume into a liveable room.

The right moment to bring in the painter comes down to three conditions:

• The services are routed — no wall left to reopen later.
• The plastering is finished — surfaces closed back, false ceilings in place.
• The surfaces are dry — new plaster dried all the way through, checked with a moisture meter, not against a date set in advance.

The painting phase is itself a sequence: surface preparation (filling, sanding, a primer suited to the substrate), then painting the ceilings, the walls and the woodwork. Preparation is most of the invisible work — it is what makes the finish hold and look even. The detailed sequence is set out in our complete guide to painting a flat.

Renovhome SA carries out this painting and finishing package: interior painting, ceilings, wallpaper and enamel finishes. That is our scope — and it is precisely the stage that reveals the result of the whole project.

After painting: floors, kitchen and finishes

Once the walls and ceilings are painted, the site closes back in an equally logical order.

Floor coverings — parquet and tiling are generally laid after painting, so as not to expose them to splashes, sanding and preparation work. Laying new parquet and then covering it to paint above is an unnecessary risk. The exact order is set between the painter and the floor layer, since some configurations (skirting, joints) call for a final touch-up after laying.

Kitchen, sanitary and joinery — equipment and fine joinery come once the surfaces are finished. This avoids painting behind an already-fitted unit.

Touch-ups and handover cleaning — the final pass: spot paint repairs after the other trades have been through, then the end-of-site cleaning. This is also the moment of handover, inspected in full natural light.

Here again, tiling, kitchen fitting and bespoke joinery are the work of other trades. The painter, for their part, can return for a final finishing touch-up once the floor and skirting are laid.

Coordinating the site in Geneva: managing agents, architects, owners

The real difficulty of a renovation is not technical, it is one of sequencing. This is especially true in Geneva, where projects are often organised around three contexts:

• Renovation before moving in — an empty home is the ideal configuration: the painting is organised with no furniture to work around. It is also the right moment when preparing a home for letting (see repainting before letting).
• Letting or reinstatement — between two tenancies, the managing agent slots the painting into a short window, coordinated with the other repairs.
• Sale — a finishing refresh adds value to the property before viewings.

When an architect or a managing agent runs the site, our role is to fit in with their programme: confirm when the surfaces will be ready, how long the finish takes, and place our work in the right slot between the plastering and the laying of the floors. A dedicated contact handles this coordination, from quote to handover.

That is the whole point of a prior visit: it allows us to assess the state of the surfaces, understand where the site stands and position the painting at the right moment. Finishing works carry the 2-year legal warranty (Art. 371 CO), and Renovhome SA uses paints with low VOC emissions.

Are you preparing a renovation in Geneva and want to know when to slot in the painting package? Request a free quote: we come and see the site, assess the surfaces and slot our work in with the other trades.