There are few things as beautiful and majestic as the inside of a church sanctuary. The old world architecture. The stained glass windows. The sacred symbolism. The attention to detail that looks like a work of art. 

But perhaps your place of worship is beginning to show its age. If so, it may be time for a repaint. A thorough paint job would bring your sanctuary back to life, and your congregation would appreciate the upgrade.

However, painting the interior of a sanctuary or the exterior of a place of worship isn’t the same as painting a bedroom or an office. Rather, a paint job of this importance, complexity, and magnitude requires unique financial, operational, and architectural needs that your standard painting project lacks. 

Unfortunately, most painting companies in Central Pennsylvania have never painted a church sanctuary before. While they may think it’s just another commercial building paint job, they quickly realize they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. Between the budgeting, the operations, and architectural requirements, most local painting companies are ill-prepared and ill-equipped. And too often, they don’t realize they’ve overstepped their abilities until mistakes are made. 

Navigating Unique Circumstances That Your  Sanctuary Repaint Demands 

It’s where your community congregates to worship. It’s your area’s safe space where neighbors can absolve their sins. It is treasured, respected, and appreciated. And because of its importance, your church or facility board wants to make it shine like new with a fresh repaint.

However, simply jumping on Google and calling the first painters in Central Pennsylvania that you see may not work in your favor. Besides servicing Pennsylvania residents and business owners for more than 50 years, Key Painting & Decorating has plenty of experience painting the exterior and interior of local churches. By doing so, we know the unique circumstances that must be taken into consideration, including: 

• Navigating Budget Approval Cycles — Even months before the paint hits the walls, church board budgets are often tied to fixed fiscal years or tithing campaigns. Often houses of worship have phased funding to better spread costs out over a year or two. Also, these boards may approve a 15% to 20% contingency fund, which may help cover painting costs. 

• Working Around Services and Events — Most churches are open from morning to afternoon on Sundays, as well as Wednesday evenings. No matter your hours, you want to make sure the local painting company you choose respects your open hours. 

Key Painting & Decorating prides itself on painting exclusively during off peak time, including late-night hours or weekday split shifts. In addition to your regular service hours, check your calendar for future events that may disrupt painting plans. 

Rest assured that when you choose Key Painting & Decorating to paint your sanctuary, we always respect your building and your people. Therefore, we quickly pack away all tools and equipment to ensure your weekend services, weddings, and funerals look remarkable. Plus, as always, we use zero-VOC and fast-drying paints to ensure no chemical smells linger during worship. 

• High Ceilings and Scaffolding — Most sanctuaries look majestic because of their high peaked ceilings and impressive architecture. For seasoned painters, that’s to be expected. Unfortunately, too many painters in Central Pennsylvania lack the specialized rigging, the equipment, the tools, or the experience to accommodate that space. 

The painting crew at Key Painting & Decorating comes with articulate boom lifts, spider lifts, and custom pipe scaffolding to reach high ceilings. We also go to great lengths to protect your floors, whether they’re made of hardwoods, tile, or marble. Naturally, we provide an extensive number of drop cloths to protect your seating or other furniture. Finally, everything we do complies with OSHA certifications. Safely and efficiently, we get the job done to bring your sanctuary to life. 

• Historic Surfaces and Lead Consideration — Many churches were built decades ago. Aside from unique surfaces that are difficult to replace, these houses of worship may feature lead paint. Therefore, hiring a painter who will haphazardly remove dangerous lead paint or use paint that doesn’t adhere to historic substrates may be a costly mistake. 

Key Painting & Decorating goes to great lengths to maintain your sanctuary’s beauty and original charm while adhering to today’s strict EPA laws. First, as an EPA Lead-Safe Certified painting company, we use wet scraping, HEPA-shrouded sanders, and plastic containment zones to safely manage old lead paint. 

Beyond handling lead paint removal safely, our crew has vast experience in matching existing materials. By using specialized breathable paints, lime washes, or oil-based trim enamels that chemically bond with historic substrates, we eliminate peeling problems. 

Ask Your Painting Professionals  These Important Questions 

Choosing the wrong painting contractor to paint your sanctuary isn’t simply a costly mistake. It may prove to be a detrimental mistake that affects your congregation, your church board, and the historic preservation of your church. 

Truthfully or not, most every painting professional in Central Pennsylvania will give a perception of quality work in the church market. But, rather than risk a poor paint job you regret for years, take a couple of minutes and ask every painting contractor the following questions. 

1. Which churches have you painted in the Central Pennsylvania area? 

2. How do you accommodate our budget approval process? 

3. What days or nights do you typically paint to protect our services and events?

4. What steps do you take to preserve our historic surfaces? 

5. Does your business carry commercial general liability coverage and workers’ compensation insurance? 

6. How will you protect our organ pipes, stained glass windows, original wood floors, etc.? 

Only if they answer these questions to your satisfaction should you consider allowing the painting company to bid on your sanctuary repaint. 

Key Painting & Decorating Answers  All of Those Questions with Confidence 

We’ll admit it. Painting a church sanctuary is a challenging endeavor. It takes more man hours, more equipment, more training, and more specialized techniques than most any other painting project. That’s why there are only a handful of Central Pennsylvania painting contractors who are qualified for the job. 

To find out if they are qualified, ask them the previous questions. Key Painting & Decorating can confidently answer each of those questions. How? Because we have the experience of painting many local houses of worship. And we are happy to show you our portfolio.  

Ask for a FREE painting estimate for your church. 
Simply call us at 717-566-0280 or fill out this simple form.