HOW TO PREPARE YOUR HOME
FOR INTERIOR PAINTERS

You hired professional painters. That's the hard part done. Now the question is how to prep your home so the job goes smoothly, finishes faster, and produces the best possible result. The good news is you don't need to do much -- but the things you do handle upfront make a real difference. Here's a practical guide from a crew that paints homes in the DMV every week.

WHAT TO MOVE BEFORE PAINTERS ARRIVE

You don't need to empty your home, but there are specific things that should be moved before the crew shows up:

• Furniture near walls: Pull sofas, dressers, beds, and bookshelves at least 18 inches from any wall being painted. You don't have to move them out of the room -- just away from the perimeter. The crew can shift lighter pieces as needed, but the heavier stuff is easier if it's already cleared.
• Valuables and breakables: Move anything fragile, irreplaceable, or that you'd be upset about off shelves, mantels, and surfaces near the work area. Paintings, ceramics, family photos. A paint crew is careful, but accidents happen and a busy job site is not the place for irreplaceable items.
• Wall art and mirrors: Take down anything hanging on the walls being painted. This saves time and avoids having to work around it.
• Curtains and blinds: Remove curtains from rods on windows near painted walls. Blinds can usually stay if they're pulled up. Curtain panels are easy to catch paint on even when you're being careful.
• Shelf contents near painted walls: Books, plants, and decorative items on shelves adjacent to a wall being painted should be boxed or moved to another room.

WHAT YOU DON'T NEED TO MOVE

A lot of clients over-prepare and stress themselves out clearing entire rooms when they don't need to. Here's what we handle ourselves:

We cover floors completely with drop cloths before we start. Hardwood, carpet, tile -- all of it is protected. You don't need to roll up rugs or worry about drips on your floors. We tape off all trim, door frames, window casings, outlet covers, and switch plates. Any furniture left in the center of the room gets covered with plastic sheeting. You don't need to empty the room -- you need to get things away from the walls and let us handle the rest.

HOW TO PREPARE YOUR WALLS

The condition of your walls before we arrive affects the final result. Here's what to think about:

If there are large holes, deep gouges, or spots where drywall compound has crumbled, you have two options: fill them yourself before we arrive, or tell us upfront and we'll add drywall repair to the scope. Don't just assume we'll patch everything automatically -- it's a separate line item on most jobs, and it's better to discuss it during the estimate than discover it on day one.

If you have greasy walls -- common in kitchens and near cooking areas -- wipe them down with a degreaser or TSP solution before we arrive. Paint doesn't bond well to grease, and a quick clean on your end saves everyone time. We do a light cleaning as part of our standard prep, but heavy grease buildup needs more attention than a standard prep wipe.

If there's loose paint, peeling areas, or old wallpaper you want removed, let us know during the estimate. Loose paint needs to be scraped and sanded before painting over it. Wallpaper removal is a separate job. Neither is something we can silently absorb into a standard painting quote without knowing it's there.

TELLING YOUR PAINTER WHAT YOU WANT

The estimate walkthrough is the time to be specific. Before the crew arrives on the job day, make sure these things are sorted out:

• Colors: Have your paint colors selected or at least narrowed to two or three options before the day of. If you're supplying the paint, have it ready. If we're buying it for you, confirm the color names and sheens in writing before job day.
• Which rooms and in what order: If you're painting multiple rooms and need one room to be done first so you can move back in, say so. We can sequence the job around your needs.
• Problem areas: Water stains, smoke damage, crayon on the wall in the kids' room, a doorknob hole someone's been meaning to fix -- mention all of it during the estimate. Most of it is easy to address. None of it should be a surprise on day one.
• Trim and ceiling: Are we painting trim and ceilings too, or just walls? This needs to be confirmed clearly before we start. Painting ceilings and trim in addition to walls is a different scope.

THE DAY OF: WHAT TO EXPECT

On the day painting starts, plan to be home or have someone available for the first 20 to 30 minutes. We do a quick walkthrough at the start to confirm the scope, verify colors, and flag anything that changed since the estimate. That conversation at the beginning prevents misunderstandings at the end.

Once work is underway, let the crew work. You don't need to supervise or check in constantly. We know what we're doing and interruptions slow the job down. If something comes up mid-job that you want to address, flag your project lead and we'll work it in.

At the end of the job, do a walkthrough with us before we pack up. Check the walls in good light. Look at corners, edges, and trim lines. If there's a spot that needs touching up, that's the time to say so -- while the crew is still there and the paint is still available. Touch-ups done the same day are always cleaner than coming back a week later.