Planning · · 6 min read · by KB Quality Painting
Key takeaways
- Take down and store anything fragile, valuable or irreplaceable yourself.
- Tell your contractor about pets, allergies, alarms, and rooms that can't be disturbed.
- Empty closets if closet interiors are in the scope — this one surprises people.
- Plan parking and access for the crew, especially on exterior jobs.
What your painters should do (so you don't have to)
Let's start here, because homeowners often over-prepare. A professional crew handles moving and centralizing furniture, covering everything, protecting floors wall to wall, masking fixtures and switch plates, all patching and prep, and daily cleanup. You should not be spending a weekend getting ready.
What follows is the genuinely useful short list — mostly things only you can do.
Interior painting: before day one
Take down and store the irreplaceable
Wall art, mirrors, family photographs, collections, anything fragile or sentimental. Crews are careful, but the only guaranteed way to protect an irreplaceable object is for it not to be in the room. Store it somewhere outside the work area rather than stacking it in the corner.
Clear surfaces and small items
Books, ornaments, electronics, plants, lamps. Anything small enough to pick up is faster for you to clear than for a crew to individually pack. Large furniture can stay — that's their job.
Empty the closets — if closets are in the scope
This one catches people out every time. If closet interiors are being painted, they need to be empty, including the shelves and the rod. Check your scope and ask if you're not sure.
Take down curtains and blinds
Or tell the crew and they'll handle it. Either way, know that hardware often has to come off the wall and the holes will be filled — so decide beforehand whether you're rehanging in the same place.
Decide about wall anchors and mounts
TV mounts, floating shelves, heavy anchors. If you want them gone, say so before the walls are patched. If you want them kept, say that too — a crew will otherwise remove and fill obvious hardware.
Plan for pets and children
Doors will be open, there'll be equipment on the floor, and wet paint is at exactly toddler and dog height. A plan for where the pets are during the day is worth making. Also tell the crew if you have a cat that bolts — knowing to be careful with exterior doors is genuinely useful information.
Tell them about anything unusual
- Alarm systems, codes and sensors
- Respiratory sensitivities or allergies (we'll spec zero-VOC accordingly)
- Rooms that must stay accessible or undisturbed — a home office with a daily call, a nursery
- A newborn, or anyone working nights and sleeping days
- Any known problem — a past leak, a wall that's soft, a section that's been patched repeatedly
Exterior painting: before the crew arrives
Move vehicles and plan parking
Cars out of the driveway and away from the work area — washing and painting both produce overspray and drift. Crews also need space for a van and equipment, which matters on narrow village streets.
Clear the perimeter
Move patio furniture, grills, planters, garden ornaments, hoses, children's toys and anything else within a few feet of the house. Crews will move what's left, but a clear perimeter genuinely speeds the job.
Trim back vegetation
Shrubs and climbing plants touching the siding have to be pulled back to work behind them. Trimming them beforehand helps — and shrubs pressed against siding hold moisture permanently, which is bad for the paint regardless.
Close and lock windows
Especially before washing. Also check storm windows and basement hoppers, which people forget.
Handle window screens
Screens usually need to come out. If you'd like them washed while they're off, ask — it's a small job and it's the only time it's easy.
Tell them about the water supply and access
Where the outdoor spigot is, whether it works, whether there's a gate that's normally locked, and where the dog is. Washing needs water and crews need to get to all four sides of the house.
During the work
- Be reachable on day one. Questions come up early — a color boundary, a piece of hardware, whether a mark is a repair or a feature. Being available for a five-minute call saves guesswork.
- Walk it at the end of each day if you can. Raising something on day two is easy. Raising it on day six means undoing work.
- Say something immediately if you don't like the color. After the first wall, not after the house. Color looks different at scale — that's normal, and it's fixable early and expensive late.
- Keep the crew supplied with nothing. They have everything. Coffee is appreciated and entirely optional.
The final walkthrough
Before the last payment, walk the job with the contractor:
- Look at walls from an angle, in daylight, with lights on. Raking light shows what flat light hides.
- Check cut lines at ceilings, trim and corners.
- Open and close doors and windows to check nothing is stuck or painted shut.
- Check that switch plates and hardware are back on and clean.
- On exteriors, look from the street as well as up close — and check the elevations you don't normally see.
- Confirm you have the color and product schedule in writing for future touch-ups. Ask for labeled leftover paint.
Ask for a touch-up kit. A small labeled container of each color, with the sheen and product line written on it, is worth having in the basement. In two years you will not remember which white the hallway was.
See also: questions to ask before hiring a painting contractor.