In this guide, you’ll learn how to prepare your home for professional painters and why it helps.
How to Prepare for Professional House Painter
Preparing the house before the painters arrive is a critical step to a successful paint job.
Not only is it courteous to the painters, but it also protects your belongings from any accidental damage and helps the work move along quickly. Not only that, but it saves you money and time in replacing anything that might be damaged from the ladder being moved around, or accidental paint splatter.
Below is how to prepare for professional house painter:
Move and Cover Furniture
Some painting companies will cover large furniture like couches and chairs with a tarp when they arrive as a part of the preparation stage before they begin priming or painting the walls.
It is important to clarify whether the company you hire will do this as well. If they do not, you can purchase drop cloths at the local hardware store and lay them out over your furniture to ensure that no paint splatter reaches the material underneath.
You should also move any furniture away from the walls to ensure the painters have plenty of room to work.
Electronics, appliances, and portable items should be removed from the room to prevent accidental damage if they are bumped or knocked over while the painters are working.
Remove Wall Hangings and Ornaments
Wall hangings and ornaments like picture frames, paintings, displays and other items should be removed from the walls.
Painters are not responsible for accidental damages to these types of items, so they should be stored carefully in an area that is not being repainted, such as a basement, crawlspace, attic, or storage shed.
This is an especially important step for collector’s items and valuable artworks that might be irreplaceable or hold sentimental value to the owner.
It is important to note that painters may cover over holes and wall hangers, so be prepared to either remove the hangers or re-hang the items once the paint has dried.
Remove Knick-knacks and Fragile Items
Painting contractors are not responsible for any damages to personal property, which means that you should remove any knick-knacks or fragile items that may be present in the room.
Even if these items are locked away in a display cabinet, the cabinet should be moved someplace where it cannot be bumped into or accidentally sprayed with paint.
Taking this step will ensure that your valuables are kept in good condition and no accidents occur during the work; this is a standard step for any type of contractor work that might require heavy equipment and teams of people working in the same space.
Vacate the Area and Restrict Pet Access
It is important that your pets are not allowed to access the area where the painters will be working. In fact, most homeowners should not be in the home either, meaning that the home should be painted between tenancy, or you should plan ahead and reserve lodgings that can accommodate you and your pets.
If you stay in the home during painting, you and your pets will be breathing in harmful paint fumes, and you will have to maneuver around ladders, tarps, and paint cans, all of which are just asking for an accident to occur. Most painting companies will request that you and your pets are vacated from the area during painting, or access is closed off to the room whenever possible.
How Do Professional Painters Prep Walls?
Once the house painters arrive, they will inspect the walls that they are painting and make a checklist of areas to prep.
This might include filling nail holes and grooves that they find, as well as taping down any baseboards and trim to ensure that the paint lines remain clean, and they can work faster without fear of painting areas that might not be ready for paint.
The painters may also remove outlet covers so that they can paint the drywall underneath the lip of the cover, or they may tape around the surface to ensure that the outlet cover is protected during the painting process.
Prepping the walls is an important first step that can be time consuming, but all that time is worth it when the lines come out clean and crisp without any mistakes.
Do Professional Painters Clean Walls Before Painting?
No, professional painters do not typically clean the walls before painting. While they will prep and prime the walls, cleaning should be done just before the painters arrive. This will leave you with a longer-lasting paint job without any splotchy fading over time.
Whether you have a cleaning service do it a few days before, or if you do it as a part of your personal prepping for the appointment, the walls should be scrubbed down with a soft cloth.
Soapy water is the best choice for most walls, and this dries quickly, allowing the painters to get to work immediately once they have put down tarps and opened their paint cans.
Should You Be Home When Painters are Working?
It is not recommended that you are home when the painters are working. Not only is it a health hazard to breathe in the fumes without the proper equipment, but it allows the painters to work quickly.
A homeowner or pet walking around may be a distraction that the painters must work around, and it can be difficult to maintain a daily routine in your home with tarps, ladders, and contractors moving from room to room.
If you need to vacate the home for several days while the painters work, it is best to bring your family and pets to a hotel or alternative lodgings with all overnight supplies and valuables for peace of mind.
How Long Should It Take a Professional Painter to Paint a Room?
This depends a lot on the individual painter, the specifications for the room, and how large the project is overall. (1) Professional painters typically get the job done in less than half the time that it takes to do it on a DIY basis, but it is still a time consuming process.
Before ventilating, a professional painter may take anywhere from two to four days to prep, prime, and paint an average-sized room.
Painting contractors do more than roll paint on your walls. The benefit of hiring a professional is that they can get the job done fast and prepare and clean up after it is done.
– Forbes
Fortunately, when you are working with a company, they will typically dispatch painters in groups to get the job done sooner. With coordinated painting work divided between a whole team, painters can paint an average-sized room in two or three days.
A large amount of this time is spent allowing the paint to properly dry between coats, at which point they may work on another room in the home that they are contracted for or prepare the paint and equipment for the next step.
How Long Should I Ventilate a Room After Painting?
Interior paint does not have nearly as many fumes that need to ventilate as exterior paint does. Still, it should be ventilated after the last coat of paint is dry to ensure that all the fumes that are there can dissipate.
This can be done with a standard box fan with windows open and screens down, or by running the interior air conditioning unit if there are ducts throughout the home.
No matter how big the room, proper ventilation can take a long time. With adequate air flow throughout the space, you should be able to completely ventilate the room in 3 days, with no fumes remaining afterwards. If the room still smells like paint or chemicals, then the space should continue to ventilate with air flow.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Your Painter Questions
At any point during the project, you should feel comfortable asking your painter questions about the process, their tools, the materials, or about the specific space. Their job is to do the work, but ultimately, you are the one who will be living with it.
If you aren’t certain about how a certain color or technique will come out, ask questions before they do the work to ensure that the whole crew is on the same page with what you have envisioned.
Furthermore, asking questions is a great way to learn more about what they do, the value they are bringing to the table, and the overall expertise you are paying for.
Find Your Professional Painter Today
Now that you know how to prepare for professional house painter, you can find the right interior painter for your needs. Whether you’re having your house re-painted because your tastes have changed, or if you’re looking to renovate an apartment complex, interior painting can bring a space to life.
At Same Day Pros, you can find any service you need, when you need it most, right in your local area. By matching you with companies nearby, you don’t have to struggle with defunct listings, misleading results, or other stresses that come with finding a professional.
We’ll take care of all that for you; all you have to do is compare companies and find the right fit for your budget.
References:
- Forbes, 6 Tips for Hiring a Painting Contractor, https://www.forbes.com/advisor/home-improvement/tips-hiring-painting-contractor/
