TL;DR: What Do You Need to Do Before Interior Painters Arrive?
Before professional interior painting starts, your part is the small stuff: wall hangings, fragile items, decor, and a clear path through the house. Our crew moves and protects furniture, using drop cloths and plastic sheeting for anything that stays in the room, and handles all wall preparation, including sanding, taping, and priming. The checklist below is organized by timing, so you know what to do one to two weeks out, the day before, the morning of, and during the project.
- You handle: wall hangings, fragile or irreplaceable items, small decor, and a clear path to each room.
- The crew handles: moving and protecting furniture, plus all wall preparation.
- Tell us when you book: if your home was built before 1978, or if anyone in your home has chemical sensitivities.
1-2 Weeks Before: Decisions and Communication
This window is for anything that requires lead time. A few conversations now prevent delays once the crew arrives.
Confirm Your Paint Colors
Choose your colors before the project starts. We use Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore paints on interior projects, so you can pick from either brand’s color collection at any paint store or a Sherwin-Williams location. If you would like help choosing, we have partnered with a Sherwin-Williams color consultant. A firm color decision before the crew arrives keeps the schedule on track.
Flag Any Household Sensitivities
If anyone in your home has chemical sensitivities, or if you have young children or pets, let us know when you book. We offer low-VOC and zero-VOC paint options from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore on every interior painting project, and knowing this ahead of time lets us choose the right product for your situation.
Mention If Your Home Was Built Before 1978
If your home was built before 1978, say so when you book. Lead paint can be present under newer layers in homes of that age, and we follow Lead-Safe Certified practices for pre-1978 homes. Flagging it early means the crew arrives prepared.
Identify Items That Need to Move Before We Arrive
Walk through each room being painted and note anything fragile, irreplaceable, or very heavy that you want moved before the crew arrives. The crew moves and protects furniture as part of the project, using drop cloths and plastic sheeting for what cannot be moved. Items you consider irreplaceable, or that you prefer to handle yourself, should be relocated to a safe area before work begins.
The Day Before: Clear the Path and Protect What Matters
The evening before the crew arrives is when most of the homeowner’s hands-on work happens.
What the Homeowner Handles vs. What the Crew Handles
| Homeowner’s Job | Crew’s Job |
|---|---|
| Remove wall hangings, framed photos, mirrors | Move and protect furniture with drop cloths and plastic sheeting |
| Take down shelving items and small decor | All surface preparation, including sanding, taping, and priming |
| Move fragile or irreplaceable items to a safe area | Apply primer and finish coats |
| Secure or arrange pets away from work areas | Lead-Safe Certified practices in pre-1978 homes |
| Clear a path from the entry to each room | Ventilate rooms during the work |
Work through each room scheduled for painting. Take everything off the walls, including artwork, mirrors, clocks, and decorative hooks. Clear shelves and surfaces of small items. If a piece of furniture is fragile or something you would not want anyone else to handle, move it out of the room entirely.
Confirm Access
Make sure the crew can get into your home. If you will not be present, confirm how access will be provided, whether that is a key, a code, or a family member who will be home. Settling access details the night before saves time on the morning of the project.
The Morning of: Final Steps Before the Crew Arrives
If you handled the day-before tasks, the morning list is short.
- Confirm pets are secured or out of the work area
- Do a final sweep of rooms being painted for any small items you missed
- Verify the crew has clear access to the home
- On a multi-day project, confirm with the crew lead which rooms are scheduled for that day
- Set aside any questions you want to ask the crew lead at the start
During the Project: What You Can Do
Once our interior painting crew is on site, your role is small.
- Stay out of rooms while the crew is working in them.
- Keep pets away from rooms with wet paint.
- Stay reachable in case the crew lead has a question.
- Look over the finished rooms with the crew when the work wraps up.
FAQ: Common Questions Before Your Interior Painting Project
What do I need to do before interior painters come?
Remove wall hangings, framed photos, mirrors, and small decor from rooms being painted. Move any fragile or irreplaceable items to a safe area before the crew arrives. The crew handles furniture protection and all surface preparation, so you do not need to do any sanding, taping, or priming.
Do I need to be home while the painters work?
No. The crew needs access to your home, whether that is a key, a door code, or someone who will be there. Stay reachable during the day in case the crew lead has a question, and plan to look over the finished rooms when the work wraps up.
What should I remove from walls before painting?
Take down everything: framed artwork, mirrors, clocks, decorative hooks, shelving brackets, and any other wall-mounted items. Bare walls give the crew clean access and reduce the risk of anything being damaged during the project.
What do painters do to prepare walls before painting?
Our crew handles all wall preparation, including sanding, taping, and priming. These steps are part of our interior painting process and are completed before any finish coat is applied. Homeowners do not need to do any surface preparation before we arrive.
What should I do with pets while painters are working?
Keep pets out of the rooms being painted and away from wet paint for the length of the project. A closed room, a crate, or a day with a friend or sitter all work. If you have pets at home, ask us about low-VOC and zero-VOC paint options from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore when you book.
Ready to Book Your Interior Painting Project?
If you have worked through this checklist, you are set. The crew handles the heavy lifting, surface preparation, and furniture protection. Your job is to remove wall hangings, fragile items, and clear a path through the house.
We provide interior painting across King and Snohomish County, including Seattle, Lynnwood, Bothell, Kirkland, Bellevue, Woodinville, and Everett. We are licensed and insured, with documentation available before work begins, and every interior project is backed by our 3-year workmanship warranty covering labor and materials. Homeowners rate us 4.9 stars across 500+ Google reviews.
