How to Prepare Your Home for a Painter

One of the questions we get most often before a job starts is: "What do I need to do before you guys arrive?" It's a great question. Proper homeowner prep makes a real difference - it protects your belongings, helps the crew start immediately rather than spending their first hour clearing the space, and reduces the overall project time.

Here is the exact prep process we recommend based on 15+ years painting homes across Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown, Nazareth, and the wider Lehigh Valley.

Interior Painting Prep - What to Do Before We Arrive

1. Clear Small Items and Valuables from the Room

Remove anything fragile, irreplaceable, or sentimental from the room being painted. This includes:

• Artwork, photos, and wall decorations (take them off the walls too)
• Small decorative items from shelves and surfaces
• Electronics that can be moved - small TVs, laptops, speakers
• Children's toys and collectibles
• Anything on or near windowsills

You do not need to empty the room entirely. Large furniture - sofas, beds, dressers, dining tables - can stay. Our crew will move large pieces to the center of the room and cover them with drop cloths. But the smaller items are faster for you to manage yourself and we cannot guarantee their safety in transit.

2. Take Down Window Treatments

Curtains, drapes, and soft blinds should come down before we start. They absorb overspray and the smell of paint, and taking them down gives our crew unobstructed access to the window trim and the wall sections above the window. Remove the curtain rods too - we will fill those bracket holes as part of prep if you want them relocated, or leave them to be painted around if they are staying.

Hard blinds (wood, faux-wood, aluminum) can usually stay if they are closed and we can paint around them, but removing them is always cleaner.

3. Remove Switch Plates and Outlet Covers

We will typically handle this ourselves, but if you want to save time on our arrival, remove all the switch plates, outlet covers, thermostat covers, and smoke detector covers from the walls being painted. Place the screws in a labeled bag so reassembly is easy.

4. Identify Any Problem Areas

Walk through the space and note any areas you want us to know about:

• Water stains or damage spots that need sealing before painting
• Holes larger than a typical nail hole (door knob impacts, anchor holes)
• Cracks in drywall or plaster - especially diagonal cracks at window and door corners, which can indicate settling
• Peeling or bubbling paint that needs to be addressed at the source
• Mold or mildew (critical to disclose - requires specific treatment before painting)

Point these out when we arrive. We patch standard nail holes and small dents as part of prep, but significant repairs (large holes, water damage remediation, plaster restoration) need to be discussed and scoped upfront.

5. Make a Clear Path

Ensure we can move easily through your home with ladders, equipment, and materials. Move any obstacles from doorways, hallways, and stairwells. If you have pets, arrange to have them secured or out of the home for the duration of the project - paint fumes and open doors are not ideal for animals, and a curious dog on a freshly painted floor creates problems for everyone.

6. Discuss Paint Colors and Confirm Before We Start

If you are supplying your own paint, have it on-site and labeled by room. If we are supplying paint (the norm for most of our projects), confirm your color selections the day before we start - not the morning of. Last-minute color changes delay projects and sometimes require additional material costs. We always confirm colors with clients 48-72 hours before start, but if you have any doubt, reach out early.

Exterior Painting Prep - What Helps Most

Clear the Perimeter

Move outdoor furniture, potted plants, grills, children's equipment, and anything else within 4-5 feet of the house foundation. This gives our crew room to work safely and protects your belongings from drips and overspray.

Trim Overgrown Vegetation

Bushes, shrubs, and vines that are growing against the house need to be pulled back or trimmed before we arrive. We cannot paint properly behind vegetation pressing against the siding, and forcing our way through overgrowth damages both plants and crew. If significant trimming is needed, do it a week before the job so cut vegetation can be cleared.

Note Any Existing Damage

Walk around the exterior and look for rotted wood, failed caulk around windows and doors, gaps in siding, or areas where water has been getting behind the surface. Tell us what you see - we address these as part of proper exterior prep, but knowing about them upfront helps with scheduling and materials.

Keep Pets Indoors or Confined

Exterior painting involves ladders, drop cloths on ground surfaces, open paint containers, and crew members moving frequently around the perimeter. Pets should be kept inside or in a separate enclosed area, not roaming the yard.

What We Handle - You Don't Need to Worry About

A few things homeowners sometimes try to do that we actually prefer to handle ourselves:

• Moving large furniture: We move it to the center, cover it, and move it back. You don't need to attempt to move heavy pieces.
• Taping edges: Our prep tape work is part of our process. Pre-taped edges are often done wrong (wrong tape, wrong placement) and have to be re-done anyway.
• Priming bare spots: We prime as part of our proper prep sequence. Random spot-priming beforehand can actually cause adhesion issues if the wrong primer is used.
• Washing walls: A light wipe-down of obviously greasy areas in kitchens is helpful. Full wall washing is part of our prep on appropriate projects.