Hiring interior house painters in the San Francisco East Bay, CA area is the best way to transform your home into an exceptional living space. Although this saves you the time and effort to paint on your own, there are still a few steps you’ll have to take to prep your house before the interior house painters arrive. Here is our step-by-step guide to get your home ready for your interior paint project.
Protect Your Furniture
Move small items such as side tables, coffee tables and floor lamps to rooms not scheduled for painting or to the garage or attic. This is the best way to reduce the risk of damage. For larger items, ideally, you should move everything into the center of the room to clear a path for the interior painters while also making it easier to cover everything with old sheets, drop cloths or tarps. If you don’t have your own materials to cover your large items, your painting company should provide drop cloths to protect your floors and belongings. If you cannot move furniture on your own, be sure to mention this to your painters. They will assist with moving the furniture, although there might be an additional charge to do so.
Store Your Electronics
Although you hopefully hired an insured interior painter, you want to keep your expensive electronics such as sound systems, TVs, gaming systems and computers out of harm’s way. You can pack these things up and store them in the garage or attic until the painters have completed the job. Although it might be easier to just toss a cloth over your electronics, paint drips and spatters can leach through cloths, so it’s best to pack them safely out of sight. Large appliances such as the fridge, stove, washer/dryer, etc., can be moved away from the walls and covered. Small appliances in the kitchen should also be stored away, such as toasters, coffee machines, blenders, etc.
Art & Precious Valuables
Your art and valuables are often one-of-a-kind finds that are difficult to replace. These items should be carefully packed and stored away to avoid damage. This includes:
Anything of value should also be stored in boxes such as jewelry, watches, coin or stamp collections, etc.
Area Rugs and Window Treatments
Although painters do lay down drop cloths, you should roll up area rugs and remove them from rooms scheduled for painting. Your window treatments should also be removed, and it’s a great time to send drapes to the dry cleaners. Also, take blinds down and store the hardware in baggies to ensure you have everything you need to rehang them. If the bathroom is being painted, be sure to remove the shower curtain, floor mats, towels, etc. and clear everything off the vanity counter.
Clean the Walls
Professional painters are not cleaners. Although they will wipe down walls, their focus is on repairing imperfections in the wall using filler and sanding to smooth everything out. However, if you want to see even better results, a thorough cleaning is the answer. Use a broom or duster to remove cobwebs and dust where the ceiling meets the walls.
Then dust the walls down before using water, detergent and a sponge to remove dirt and stains that have probably remained unnoticed for years. Be sure to do this the day before, as the walls will need a bit of time to dry. Every little stain or piece of dust will lead to issues with the coat of paint. Some stains will even bleed through professional quality primers, while dust and debris collect in the paint and become a permanent feature on the wall.
Make Plans for Pets
Nervous pets will not be comfortable in a house full of strangers, noise and fumes. Friendly, active pets are at risk for injury, while also making the painter’s job difficult. Make arrangements to have your pets stay at a friend’s, or have them sleep at a pet boarding house where they will be pampered and safely out of the way while the painters work.
Make Arrangements for Yourself
Speak to your painters to find out if they prefer you leave while the project is underway or if it is okay to be home. If the painters have to make their way through the entire home, they might not mind you working in your home office or just being home as long as you are out of the way. However, your painters will let you know if there are materials or products they use that might create fumes that make it necessary to leave. Also, a major painting project for the entire home, from ceiling to baseboards, creates a mess that makes it impossible to stay. Your painters will let you know what arrangements are necessary based on the scope of work.
Clear Out Cabinets and Closets
If your paint project includes things such as kitchen cabinets, or hallways closets, you will have to clear everything out. Don’t forget to store away things like sweaters or knapsacks hung on hall hooks, shoes, purses, etc., that might be stored out in the open on shoe racks, etc.
Remember to Create a Path
Before you start moving furniture, be sure you are creating a wide path for painters to work. They will often have equipment and ladders and need to back up when using long-handled rollers. Moving larger items and boxes into halls or having only a foot or so of space between your stack of furniture and the walls won’t allow painters to work efficiently.
Designate a Bathroom for the Crew
If you have several bathrooms in the home, designate a bathroom that the painters can use while they work. This makes it easier for them and you.
Proper preparation for interior house painters ensures they can work efficiently and reduce the risk of damage to your belongings.
If you’re planning an interior housing painting project, request a free estimate from the best painters in the San Francisco East Bay, California area at Colby Painting.
