How to Prepare Your Home for Interior Painters

The short answer

Before interior painters arrive, finalize colours, clear walls and small items, plan for pets and children, and confirm in writing which rooms and surfaces are included. Ask at the estimate exactly what the crew will move and cover, so you neither do too much nor leave rooms unready.

1. A week before: make the decisions

• Finalize colours and sheens for every wall, ceiling, trim and door. Look at samples in the actual room at different times of day. Our Vancouver paint-colour guide can help.
• Confirm the scope: which rooms, whether ceilings, closets, trim and doors are included, and how many coats are planned.
• Arrange access: parking, building entry, elevator booking or strata notice if you live in a condo. See our condo and strata painting services.
• Mark repairs you want addressed — cracks, dents, holes — with a small piece of painter's tape, and point them out.

2. A day or two before: clear the rooms

• Take down pictures, mirrors, shelving contents and anything on mantels.
• Remove curtains and blinds where trim or windows are being painted.
• Pack small items, lamps, plants and fragile or valuable pieces out of the room.
• Disconnect electronics, and ask whether wall-mounted TVs should come down before painting day.
• Empty closets if closet interiors are in scope.
• Ask whether large furniture should be moved out or will be grouped in the middle and covered.

Sherwin-Williams' interior guidance lists the same basics: remove wall items and cover plates, move furniture to the centre and cover it, protect fixtures and ventilate.

3. Plan for people, pets and daily life

Rooms being painted will be off limits for a time. Plan where pets will stay — open doors and wet paint are a poor mix — and where children will play or you will work from home. Keep a clear path to the rooms being painted.

4. Ventilation and drying

Open windows where practical and follow the product's ventilation and drying instructions. Paint can feel dry to the touch well before it is ready for furniture to be pushed against it or for washing. Ask when each room can be used normally and when walls can be cleaned.

5. Older homes: ask about lead paint

Many homes built before 1990 may contain lead-based paint, according to Health Canada. Sanding or scraping can create hazardous dust. If your home is older, ask how the painter will assess and handle existing coatings before any preparation begins.

What to expect the painters to handle

Floor and furniture protection, surface preparation (cleaning, filling, sanding, caulking and priming where needed), the painting itself, and cleanup. See our interior painting services for what is included in a Tegron project.

Quick checklist

• Colours and sheens chosen for every surface
• Scope confirmed in writing
• Parking, entry and building access arranged
• Walls and shelves cleared; electronics disconnected
• Furniture plan agreed
• Pets and children planned for
• Older home? Lead paint discussed

Planning an interior repaint?

Tell us which rooms you want painted and we will walk you through preparation at your free estimate. Contact Tegron Painting or call 604-838-5571.

Sources and further reading

• Sherwin-Williams — Interior Painting: room preparation and ventilation.
• Benjamin Moore — How to Paint a Room: planning and preparation steps.
• Health Canada — Lead-based paint: older homes and renovation dust.