Preparing Your Home for Professional Painting

So, you’ve decided to hire a professional company to tackle an interior painting job. You’ve chosen your colors, scheduled a date, and are looking forward to sprucing up your home… Now what?

Preparing your home for a professional paint crew isn’t terribly difficult, but taking the time to do so will make everything go more smoothly – both for you and the painters. Adjust these steps as needed for your own home, and help the company you’ve hired produce excellent results by making their job a little bit easier.

1. Move What You Can

The first step is moving things out of the way. Depending on which room(s) you’re having painted, this could be quick and easy, or much more involved. Take the time to remove wall hangings and decorations, knickknacks, artwork, and the like. Unplug and move electronics, including peripherals. Take down curtains, roll up rugs, If you can, even move furniture to another room!

The point is to protect your items, so if at all possible, take them out of the room entirely!

2. Make Room

If you can’t remove things entirely, you can at least rearrange to make more space for the painting crew. This may mean pushing larger furniture to the center of the room, or simply creating pathways for the painters to reach the walls and ceiling as necessary. This is a step many people overlook, so just put yourself in the shoes of a painter… Look at the room and imagine what might get in the way, then move it!

3. Clean Up

This one’s simple: paint adheres better and goes on more evenly when the surface being painted is clean. As you’re prepping for the paint crew, clean your walls from top to bottom to remove any dust and debris that may have built up (even if you can’t see it with the naked eye). You should also take the time to take down any cobwebs from the ceiling, and thoroughly sweep or vacuum the floor. You don’t want any dust and cobwebs sticking to the paint as it dries!

4. Cover What’s Left

If you have furniture that can’t be moved, or anything left in the room that’s too large or heavy to put somewhere else, cover it up! You can use plastic or fabric drop cloths, and you can always ask the paint company if they provide them. For the most part, professionals will take steps to protect your home and use care when they are painting – but accidents can still happen.

If you can’t remove items from the room being painted, cover them up!

5. Plan to Vacate

Last but not least, make a plan for getting out of the way! If nothing else, you and your family will need to stay out of the room(s) being painted during the process, and will likely have to stay out for a day or two after. Too many factors go into how long it might take for paint to dry, and the size of the job will determine how much of your home is off limits (and for how long).

Discuss these factors with the company you’ve hired, and make a plan to vacate. If you have children or pets, having them stay elsewhere might be a good idea, and if you’re having the whole house painted, it might be a good idea to stay with friends or family until the work is done.

Your painting company should be able to provide guidance and a timeline here, but know that once the painting starts, you and your family will need a plan to get out of the way.

As you schedule your professional painting, ask as many questions as you need to. Work with the company to make a prep plan that protects your home and meets their needs. If you have any questions about how best to prepare your home, contact CertaPro Painters of Metrowest at any time!

For help with refreshing your interior paint, or any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact CertaPro Painters of Metrowest today at 781-296-6044!

Looking for more Home Painting tips? Check out our other home improvement articles!