The wiring and pipes stay where they are if they do not have to be changed. In the request, write the room area and the condition of the walls and floor.
Living room renovation: what the work consists of
A living room can be the largest room in an apartment, and the renovation work in it splits into four parts. Walls: plastering or skimming, painting, wallpaper or applying decorative plaster. Ceiling: painting, plasterboard or stretch ceilings. Floor: laminate, vinyl flooring, parquet or sanding of old parquet. The last part is doors, skirting boards, sockets and light points.
If you live in the apartment during the renovation, see renovation while living in the apartment.
What to check in the room before the renovation
- Cracks in walls and ceilings: whether they are only in the finish. See cracks in walls and ceilings.
- Floor levelness. Quick-Step states that before laminate, unevenness over 2 mm per 1 m is levelled.
- Old parquet: whether it can be sanded and varnished, or the covering has to be replaced.
- The radiator. If its operation depends on the building's heating system, it is common property (Law on Residential Properties, Section 4), so replacing it needs the consent of the apartment owners' association, and the work is organised by the building manager.
- Sockets and switches: where the sofa, the television, the desk and the lamps will stand.
The order of work in a living room
- Demolition The furniture must be taken out of the room; the old wallpaper, skirting boards and, if it is being changed, the floor covering are removed.
- Electrical points New sockets and light points are installed before the wall finishing, so that the wires stay in the wall.
- Walls and ceiling Plastering or skimming, sanding and priming. In the Tikkurila Euro Smart 2 data sheet, painting is in two coats, and rough or skimmed surfaces are primed before painting.
- Floor If needed, the base is levelled. Quick-Step recommends keeping laminate panels in unopened packaging for 48 hours in the room where they will be laid, and leaving a gap of at least 8–10 mm along the walls.
- Doors and skirting boards Last, the doors, skirting boards and the frames of sockets and switches are installed.
If you want to combine the room with the kitchen or another room
According to the Riga municipality's explanation, to demolish a non-load-bearing wall an architect with a certificate prepares a plan, and a construction notice is submitted in BIS (the Construction Information System). An opening in a load-bearing wall needs an architect, a structural engineer and an explanatory memorandum, and, if the building is divided into apartment properties, the consent of more than half of the apartment owners. The building's design or a structural engineer shows which walls are load-bearing in your building. More: wall demolition in an apartment.
Rules: Cabinet Regulation No. 529 (“Ēku būvnoteikumi”, Building Construction Regulations), the Law on Residential Properties and the Riga municipality explanation 04.12.2025. Checked 11.11.2026.
How much does a room renovation cost?
Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. If the whole apartment is renovated, the price is calculated by apartment area (cosmetic renovation from €100/m²). For one room the estimate is drawn up by work item.
| Work | Price |
|---|---|
| Skimming walls or ceilings | from €10/m² |
| Painting walls or ceilings | from €4/m² |
| Wallpapering | from €5/m² |
| Laminate installation | from €6.50/m² |
| Parquet sanding and varnishing | from €23/m² |
| Installing interior doors | from €100 per door |
Example: a room of 15 m² with 40 m² of walls. Skimming 40 × €10 = €400 and painting 40 × €4 = €160, in total from €560. If the floor is changed too, laminate 15 × €6.50 = from €97.50. Painting and skimming are calculated per m² of wall, not floor. The price is affected by the condition of the walls, floors and ceilings and the chosen finish. All prices: apartment renovation prices.
What is in the room renovation price
What this work includes
- skimming, painting or wallpapering of walls and ceilings;
- laying a floor covering or sanding and varnishing parquet;
- installing doors, skirting boards, sockets and switches.
What is calculated separately
- materials: paint, wallpaper, covering, doors;
- removal of old wallpaper;
- floor levelling, if needed;
- replacing a radiator (from €115 per radiator), which needs the association's consent;
- replanning documents.
Similar pages: bedroom renovation, children's room renovation, kitchen renovation. All rooms: room renovation in an apartment.
Sources
- A radiator is common property if it depends on the building's heating (Law on Residential Properties, Section 4); an opening in a load-bearing wall: more than half of the owners checked 11 November 2026
- Riga municipality explanation on combining rooms checked 11 November 2026
- Construction notice and explanatory memorandum (Cabinet Regulation No. 529) checked 11 November 2026
- No documentation is needed for painting, wallpaper and replacing a floor covering (municipality explanation) checked 11 November 2026
- Laminate acclimatisation, gaps, base unevenness (Quick-Step) checked 11 November 2026
- Painting in two coats, priming (Tikkurila Euro Smart 2) checked 11 November 2026