One of the most common questions before an interior project starts: “What do I need to do before you get here?” The answer is less than most homeowners expect — but the things that do matter actually matter. Here’s a clear picture of what to handle before the crew arrives, and what’s already part of our scope.

What the Crew Handles — So You Don’t Have To

Before getting into your checklist, here’s what you don’t need to worry about:

Furniture. We move most furniture to the center of the room and cover it with drop cloths. For a full repaint that includes all four walls, trim, and baseboards, large pieces may need to go to an adjacent room — we’ll let you know during the project discussion.

Floors. Canvas drop cloths and rosin paper go down on all hard floors and carpet before any painting begins.

Outlet and switch covers. We remove them.

Masking and edge protection. We tape off edges, mask adjacent surfaces, and handle the detail work.

Surface repairs. Holes, nail pops, cracks, and gaps at trim get patched, filled, and caulked as part of our prep scope. You don’t need to spackle before we arrive.

What You Should Do Before the Crew Arrives

Clear Fragile and Irreplaceable Items

We protect furniture and floors, but small items — framed photos, decorative objects, breakables on shelves and mantels, plants — should be moved by you to a room not being painted. These are items where only you know their significance.

Remove Wall Art and Shelving Items

Take down artwork, mirrors, clocks, and any wall-mounted decor. The nail holes left behind are fine — filling those is part of our prep. Bookshelves should be emptied if they’re on or adjacent to walls being painted.

Move Small Furniture When You Can

Sofas, beds, and large case pieces can stay — we’ll position and cover them. But smaller pieces moved out entirely make the project more efficient: side tables, dining chairs, floor lamps, accent chairs. A spare bedroom or garage is useful staging space for the duration.

Communicate Your Schedule Priorities

If you need a specific room done first — a child’s bedroom completed before school starts, a kitchen back in use by the weekend — tell us before we begin. We sequence work around your priorities when we know what they are.

Point Out Anything That Needs Attention

If there’s a wall with a patch that’s been there for years, a ceiling stain from a fixed roof leak, or an area that got missed on a previous project, point it out when the crew arrives. Known problem spots get attention in our prep scope.

Secure Pets

Move pets to an unaffected part of the house or arrange for them to be elsewhere during painting. Modern latex products have mild odors, but ladders, open doors, and equipment create hazards for animals. A dog that’s underfoot in a freshly painted room is a stressful situation for everyone.

Confirm Your Color Choices

If color decisions aren’t finalized, pin them down at least a week before the project start. Most suppliers can mix any color within 24 hours, so a week out isn’t cutting it close. What it avoids: color changes mid-project, which affect schedule and sometimes material cost.

For Cabinet Projects Specifically

Kitchen cabinet painting involves different preparation from a standard room repaint.

Empty all cabinet contents. Doors and drawer fronts come off during the project and leave the interiors accessible. Dishes, glasses, pantry items — everything comes out.

Clear countertops adjacent to the work area. Appliances, countertop items, and the area immediately around the cabinets needs to be clear.

Plan for limited kitchen use. A full kitchen cabinet project runs 3–5 days. The kitchen remains accessible throughout — you can use the sink, refrigerator, and countertop appliances — but it’s active work space during that time.

See the complete cabinet painting process for more detail on timeline and what to expect.

For Whole-Home Projects

On multi-room projects, we typically work room by room so you’re not displaced from the entire house at once. Having one room fully cleared and ready speeds things up. We’ll discuss the sequence during the estimate walkthrough so you know which rooms need to be ready on which day.

What You Don’t Need to Do

Patch walls. That’s our scope. Remove outlet covers. We do it. Tape off trim. We handle masking. Clean the walls. For most residential interiors, walls don’t need homeowner cleaning. If there’s a grease-heavy area near a range or a specific stain, point it out — we address it in prep. Move heavy furniture completely. Large pieces stay in the room. We center and cover them.

Planning an interior project in Loveland, Boulder, or Estes Park? Call 720-849-7654 or fill out our contact form. We’ll walk through the scope, answer preparation questions, and confirm the timeline before we start.