A well-prepped house paints faster, cleaner and cheaper. None of this is required — we can do all of it — but every item you handle is time not spent on the clock.
Two weeks before
- Finalize colors and sheens. Paint has to be ordered and, for custom colors, mixed. Changing a color after the job starts means a trip, a delay, and possible cost.
- Point out problem areas. The stain that keeps coming back, the crack that reopens every winter, the door that sticks. Some of these need a fix that is not paint, and we would rather know now.
- Handle repairs that are not ours. If a plumber, electrician or roofer needs to open a wall, get them in first.
- Plan around your calendar. Interiors are noisy and disruptive. If you work from home, tell us and we will sequence rooms so you always have a quiet one.
The day before
- Take down photos, art, mirrors, curtains and curtain rods.
- Empty closets if closet interiors are being painted.
- Clear the tops of dressers, bookshelves and countertops.
- Remove small breakables and anything irreplaceable from the work rooms entirely.
- Unplug and move electronics — TVs, computers, speakers.
- For exteriors: move patio furniture, grills and planters 6 feet from the house, coil hoses, and unlock gates.
- Make sure we can park close. Material carries in and out all day.
- Confirm how we get in, and whether there is an alarm code.
Leave the heavy pieces. We move them to the center of the room and wrap them in plastic — it is part of the job, and we would rather do it ourselves than have someone throw out their back the night before.
What we handle
- Moving and wrapping furniture; full floor protection on every surface we walk
- Removing switch plates, outlet covers, vent registers and door hardware
- Masking windows, floors, fixtures, cabinets and anything not being painted
- All patching, sanding, caulking and priming
- Vacuuming and cleanup at the end of every single day, not just the last one
- Putting furniture and hardware back exactly where it was
What happens each day
| Day | What you will see |
|---|---|
| Day 1 — Prep | Furniture moved and wrapped, floors covered, holes patched, caulk run. Almost no paint. This is the most important day and it looks the least impressive. |
| Day 2 — Prime & ceilings | Spot priming, stain blocking, and ceilings coated first so drips fall onto unfinished walls. |
| Day 3–4 — Walls | Cut in and roll, two full coats. This is when the transformation actually shows up. |
| Day 5 — Trim & doors | The slow, detailed brush work. Baseboards, casing, doors, closets. |
| Final day — Punch & walkthrough | We walk it with you and a bright light. Everything you flag gets fixed before we load the truck. |
Pets and kids
Tell us about your animals before day one. Doors open constantly during a paint job and cats in particular will find the one open door. If you have a nervous dog, we are happy to work with a closed-off room and a note on the door.
Modern low-VOC and zero-VOC paints are safe to be around, but "safe" is not the same as "no smell." If anyone in the house is pregnant, has asthma, or is chemically sensitive, tell us and we will spec a zero-VOC product line and keep air moving.
The final walkthrough
Do not skip this and do not be polite about it. Bring a flashlight or use your phone light and hold it flat against the wall so it rakes across the surface. That angle reveals everything — missed spots, roller texture differences, drips on trim.
Mark anything you find with a piece of blue tape. That is what the tape is for. A good crew wants the list, because fixing five things today is far easier than coming back in two weeks.