Having your home painted is one of the things that can give it a newer, fresher look, almost like it’s a new house. Getting professional interior house painting services in Fernandina Beach FL to handle the job for you assures you of a quicker, more professional job.
However, to ensure your items are safe and that the painters have room to work quickly and effectively, you have to get your house ready. Here are some things to do.
Remove Ornaments
Your painting company will bring along protective sheets to cover things up. However, it is still a good idea to move free-standing ornamental bits and pieces to a different room from the one being painted, or even to a storage space. This reduces their risk of being splashed on or being damaged while being covered up. This is more so for fragile items.
Wall Hangings
Items like wall hangings, taxidermy, mirrors and any other decorative items and trinkets on the walls should be removed in advance. This ensures that they are not damaged and that the painters don’t waste valuable time removing or working around them.
In addition, ensure you have done this prior to the interior painter’s arrival so that they get to work soon as they arrive at your home, rather than wait for you to finish moving items away. This can cut an hour or two off your total bill.
Allow Easy Access and Remove Obstructions
By allowing easy access around the home, you are ensuring the painters can maneuver quickly and finish the job faster, which in turn is cheaper for you.
On the day before they arrive, stand around the spaces to be painted and check if there is room for ladders and other equipment the painters will bring with them. You can huddle furniture in the middle of the room so that this is easily covered up with protective sheets, allowing ample space around the walls for the painters to place their equipment and move about as they handle the painting. However, if the roof is being painted, it’s better to remove all furniture and electronics from the room entirely.
If your closet will be painted, remove all your clothes from them as well.
Wall Preparation
In the initial stages or booking a paint job, ensure to discuss any wall preparations that you might have to undertake beforehand. Also, inquire if the company can do it for you as well as the costs if you prefer not to have to do it yourself.
Another discussion to have is any damage to the surfaces to be painted for example rust, rotting wood and any other structural damage as this will also have to be fixed beforehand. Remember a paint job is not something you do very often, so it’s best to get it right.
Clean the Rooms
It is a good idea to clean the room(s) to be painted thoroughly. One, paint sits better on a clean surface than one with cobwebs, fluff or dust. Secondly, if the room is not clean, dust and other particles can fly up and stick on the fresh paint. These cannot be removed without further damaging the paint. Meaning you will have to contend with a flawed paint job.
For these reasons:
- Ensure to clean and scrub the wall.
- Fill in any dents on the wall to get a smooth, consistent finish.
- Vacuum out cobwebs on corners of the rooms to be painted.
- Use sandpaper to smooth out any bumps and small projections on the walls.
- To remove mildew and mildew stains, you can use trisodium phosphate mixed with bleach. Detergent and water will be sufficient for most walls that only require a general clean.
- Clean window seals and try and scrape off any old splatters of paint off the windows. This can be done by using a razor to scrape it off gently, or by rubbing it down with turpentine.
These are things your interior house painting contractor may not handle, and if they do, it will be at an added cost to yourself. You can even use this opportunity to spring clean and put things back sparkling clean after the paintwork is done.
Window Treatments, Throws and Rugs
These are some of the items that are easily forgotten. While an interior house painter can complete the painting with minimal mess, accidental splashes of paint are not uncommon despite their best efforts.
For this reason, remove all curtains, drapes and blinders (this will allow natural light as well which is a plus). Similarly, roll up throws, rugs and loose carpeting and keep in storage, a different room or the middle of the room where they can be easily be covered up.
Leave the Room
In as much as possible, ensure the kids and pets are well out of the way, preferably out of the house. This is to prevent accidental splashes and will give the team a chance to work quickly. Children can get excited by the whole process and can be in the painter’s way which will ultimately slow them down.
If the paint job can be done while the kids are at school or visiting with relatives, the better. This allows your preferred interior house painting contractor room to complete the job without distractions. On the other hand, pets shed dander constantly, and this has a way of ending up freshly painted walls.
House Exterior Painting
If you are having the outside of your house painted, you will need some prep work in advance as well. This will include:
- Removing gutters.
- Trim trees and shrubbery that is next to or that touch the wall.
- Have repairs taken care of beforehand to ensure you end up with a great finish.
Consult Your House Painters
Your interior house painting services provider has done this countless times, and they know what works, what doesn’t and what tends to be forgotten. Discussing with them can save you the last-minute rush as they can point out a few things you may have missed.
Are you in Fernandina Beach and looking for “Inside house painters near me”? At Hall’s Quality Painting, we take you through a brief pre-project survey to ensure that you have all the information you need in advance. We are committed to delivering the best possible interior house painting services.