How to Prepare for Painters: A Room-by-Room Checklist
# How to Prepare Your Home Before the Painters Arrive
Published by 2G Interiors | Christchurch Painters & Plasterers
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A bit of preparation before your painters start saves time, protects your belongings, and helps the job go smoothly. Here's exactly what we ask of homeowners — and what we handle ourselves.
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## What We Handle
To be clear: professional painters handle almost all the actual preparation work. We don't expect you to sand walls, prime surfaces, or mask windows. That's our job.
What we take care of:
- Moving large furniture to the centre of rooms or away from walls (for interior work)
- Laying protective drop sheets on all floors and fixed furniture
- Masking windows, door hardware, light switches, power points, and fixtures
- Washing, scraping, sanding, and filling surfaces before painting
- Removing and re-hanging light fittings where required (if in scope)
- Protecting plants, paving, and garden areas for exterior work
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## What Helps Us Before We Start
### Interior Jobs
1. Clear access to walls
Move small furniture, artwork, ornaments, and anything on shelves or windowsills away from the walls we'll be painting. We'll move large furniture, but small breakables are best handled by you.
2. Take down wall hangings and pictures
Remove picture hooks, mirrors, and wall art from surfaces being painted. If you want hooks replaced in the same positions after painting, mark the locations with a small piece of masking tape before removing.
3. Note any specific concerns
If there's a crack you're worried about, a patch that's been repaired before, or a surface area with a history — tell us at the start, not during the job. We'll inspect and address it, but knowing in advance helps.
4. Secure pets
Paint fumes and unfamiliar people upset some animals. Arrange for pets to be elsewhere during the job, or at minimum confined to an area we're not working in. This protects them and us.
5. Arrange for someone to be contactable
You don't need to be home for the whole job. But we'll need someone reachable for questions — colour approvals, decisions about surfaces, or letting us in and out if needed.
### Exterior Jobs
1. Clear the perimeter
Move outdoor furniture, pot plants, garden tools, children's toys, and anything stored around the house perimeter at least 1–2 metres away from the building. We'll be moving around the full exterior with ladders and equipment.
2. Park cars away from the house
Move vehicles away from the working area, especially if we're spray-painting or water blasting. Overspray and water blast debris can travel further than expected.
3. Restrain or remove garden features near the walls
Trellises, wire plant supports, and climbing plants attached to the wall may need to be temporarily moved or tied back to give us access. Let us know in advance if you have extensive climbers — this may affect prep time and scope.
4. Notify neighbours if relevant
On close-boundary sections, water blasting can affect neighbouring property. It's good neighbourly practice to give them a heads-up — we'll do the same if we notice a potential issue.
5. Check for access to hose connections
We may need access to an external tap for surface washing. Let us know where your tap is and check it's functional before we arrive.
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## On the First Day
We'll arrive at the agreed start time, do a brief walk-through with you to confirm scope and colour selections, and answer any last questions. After that, we get to work.
You'll receive updates on progress throughout the job. If anything unexpected comes up — a surface issue, a scope question, an unforeseen repair — we'll communicate with you before proceeding rather than making assumptions.
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## At Completion
We complete a final walk-through with you before considering the job finished. This is your opportunity to point out anything that doesn't look right — we'd rather know immediately than have you notice something a week later. Touch-ups and any defects are addressed before we leave.
We clean up fully — all masking removed, drop sheets packed away, ladders and equipment cleared from the site. We leave your home in a condition better than we found it.
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## Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be home the whole time?
No. Most clients are at work during the job. We'll arrange key access or a lockbox for entry, and we'll communicate by text or phone if questions come up. You'll do a walk-through at the start and at completion.
How soon can I hang pictures and move furniture back?
For interior latex paint (which is what we use on most walls), you can move furniture back once the paint is dry to touch — typically 4–6 hours. Wait at least 24–48 hours before hanging anything on the walls. Full cure takes 2–4 weeks, so avoid scrubbing freshly painted surfaces in the first month.
Is there a smell? How long does it last?
Modern water-based paints have very low VOC and minimal odour compared to old oil-based products. Most clients are comfortable in the home the same day. Ventilate the rooms by opening windows after we leave. Oil-based finishes (used on some woodwork) have a stronger smell and need more ventilation.
My walls have a lot of picture holes and small damage — is that included?
Standard filling of minor holes and imperfections is included in our painting quotes. Significant plaster repairs, earthquake damage, or water damage repairs may be additional — we'll identify these during quoting and include them explicitly in the scope.
What if it rains during an exterior job?
We monitor forecasts closely. If rain is expected, we'll plan the work sequence to avoid painting in or immediately before rain. Sometimes jobs take a day or two longer than quoted due to weather holds — we'll communicate this clearly. We don't apply exterior coatings in wet conditions.
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2G Interiors — Christchurch painters, decorators, and plasterers. Dulux Accredited | Master Painters NZ | Fully Insured. Call 021 438 248 for a free quote.
