Painting in Palm Jumeirah — West Crescent

These branded residences — One Palm, Waldorf, Fairmont — are all built different. One Palm has floor-to-ceiling glass, so you're mostly painting interior walls and maybe a feature wall. The ceilings are standard height, 3.2 meters, so we're fine with a 10-foot pole. But at The 8 at Palm Jumeirah, some units have vaulted ceilings that hit 4.5 meters, and that means scaffolding, which adds at least AED 1,200 to the job. The paint spec matters too: most of these buildings use a specific brand like Jotun or Dulux for the common areas, and if you're painting an interior wall, you can use anything, but the management might ask for a low-VOC paint. I've done 127 square meters in a two-bed at Tiara Residences for AED 1,850 — that's around AED 14.5 per square foot. For a whole unit, expect AED 12 to 20 per square foot, depending on the finish.

For a typical two-bedroom unit on the West Crescent, say 1,500 square feet, you're looking at AED 18,000 to AED 30,000 for a full interior repaint with a premium finish. That includes two coats of paint, prep work, and a light sanding. If you want anti-mould paint in the bathrooms and kitchen, add AED 800. Exterior painting — like a balcony wall or trim — costs more, about AED 18 per square foot, because we have to use marine-grade paint that's AED 287 per gallon. Timing: a one-bed takes 3 days, a three-bed takes 5 to 6 days. But here's the limit: we can't control the building's schedule. One Palm only lets us work 8 AM to 6 PM, and no power tools after 4 PM. So if you're on a deadline for a handover, book us 3 weeks ahead. I've had jobs delayed 2 days because the building lost our access pass. We'll be honest about that upfront.