If you are one of those people who prefer to forego the headache of do-it-yourself painting of your home, then you may have already started searching for a professional inside house painter. Lucky for you, if you’re living in Virginia Beach VA, Hughes Painting can help you get your home professionally painted. But finding a contractor or company that provides interior house painting services is just the first step towards completing your project. You will need to prepare your home to make it easier for the painters to get the job done. Preparation is also key to having a positive experience and save time and money.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure the painting process runs smoothly.

Move and cover furniture

You should remove small hard furnishings such as a coffee table or light stand from a room that is scheduled for painting. However, it may not be practical to remove large furniture such as sofas, suites, beds, and dining table and chairs. These items will require a large room or storage space to house them in the meantime. Instead, you can move the furniture to the center of the room. Doing this allows the interior house painter enough space to maneuver and avoid the risk of damage. Also, cover furniture with an old sheet or large cloth.

Remove electronics and appliances

Similarly, you should remove or cover electronics and appliances such as the television, sound system, gaming system, stove, and refrigerator. These are expensive items that can get defaced by paint or damaged if the paint crew tries to remove or relocate them to another area of the home. If you don’t have large enough materials to cover the furniture, electronics, and appliances, no worries. The interior house painting contractor will most likely bring along drop cloths to spread over your prized possessions. Bear in mind that it is possible for paint to splatter even when these items are covered, for example when painting the ceiling. So, the best solution is usually to move all items to another room.

Wall hangings and ornaments

Wall hangings and decorative ornaments will obstruct an interior house painter when painting the walls. Carefully remove all picture frames, paintings, clocks, mirrors, candle holders, and other decorative wall art. Wrap them in bubble wrap to protect them from breaking and store away in marked storage boxes or containers. You may be tempted to pile and cover the hangings and ornaments with large furniture gathered in the center or one corner of the room. However, it is still possible for drops of paint to get to your valued decorative pieces. In the end, it may be wiser to just relocate them to another room

Protect soft furnishings

Soft furnishings such as mats and rugs should be removed and stored away safely away from the room. Window treatments such as curtains, drapes, and blinds should also be cleared away. For extra protection, rugs and mats can be rolled up and covered with plastic. This step is necessary even if your ceiling is not being painted by the interior house painter. In fact, the more you clear away in the room the less chance there is for your household items to get tarnished with paint. Furthermore, removing soft furnishings and furniture allows you to easily clean the room and walls in preparation for painting.

Clear away knick-knacks

It is easy to forget about the smaller, knick-knack items, but removing them from the worksite matters too. After you’ve cleared the walls, the next step is to put away any small nick-knacks, mementos, or decorative items that you have on display. Your interior house painter will protect your furniture with a tarp or drop cloth before they begin work, but small items can be knocked off a shelf or damaged in this process. It’s better to store them safely away before the contractors arrive, and put them back out after the paint has dried.

Prep and clean walls

It’s natural to think that since your walls are about to get a fresh coat of pain there is no need to clean them. FYI, cleaning helps more than it hurts and, in fact, it does make a huge difference! Dust, dirt, and stains can build up on the walls over time. Even if you don’t see them with your naked eyes, you can bet your money they will be more visible when the walls are re-painted. The paint will stick to these substances and cause them to remain on the wall permanently. Instead, invest some time to clean the walls. You can use a long handle broom or a small vacuum to dust and remove cobweb from the walls and ceiling. Use water, detergent, and a sponge to wipe away remaining debris and stains. It is better to do this a few days in advance to allow the walls to properly dry before the interior house painting contractor arrives.

Vacate the area

The time you and your family spend in the living spaces being painted will be restricted for some time. In other cases, you may need to completely vacate the room or even the house. Plan well and ensure you take all the things you will need to use and may have difficulty accessing once painting begins. Prevent children and pets from going to the work area and accidentally knocking over paint cans or getting paint on themselves. If the whole house is being painted, it might be a good idea to spend the time away at a relative’s home or even going on a mini-vacation. Being away also means you and your family members, especially kids, won’t have to inhale the paint fumes.

Benefits of Prepping Your Home Before the Painter Arrives

An interior house painter loves when their clients do some preparation to make the house painter-ready. You can ask the interior house painting contractor if there are specific things you can do to help make the project easier. The painter may appreciate this as he will be able to dive straight into painting once he gets to the work site.

Preparation ahead of time will reduce the time it takes to finish the job, protect valuable household articles, and save you money in having to clean or replace items damaged from paint splatter. It also reduces the risk of household items getting damaged while being moved by the painter.

Finding professional inside house painters near me

If you live in Virginia Beach VA, a quick search on Google or other search engines using the search terms like “inside house painters near me,” will yield a list of interior house painting companies. But all interior house painting services are not created equal. Be sure to ask questions not only about their company but what you as the homeowner needs to do for prepping. Any reputable company like Hughes Painting will be happy to take the time to address all of your concerns.

Hire the expert painters in Virginia Beach VA

Preparing your home is key to having a positive experience and removes the need for the interior house painter to spend extra time prepping the home. At Hughes Painting in Virginia Beach, VA, our goal is to give you the best experience when painting your home. Our licensed painting contractors have years of expertise painting for residential, commercial, and industrial clients. We use modern techniques and state of the art equipment to ensure you are satisfied with the results. Just give us a call today at 757-317-3735 to schedule an appointment and request a FREE quote.