How to Prepare Your Home for Painting — A Room-by-Room Checklist

1. Remove Wall Hangings and Fixtures

Take down all picture frames, mirrors, shelves, artwork, and wall-mounted items. If you're comfortable doing so, remove switch plate covers and power outlet covers — your painter will need to paint around these and it gives a much cleaner result.

Label or photograph where everything goes so you can easily rehang items after the job is complete. Put screws and fixings in a labelled bag.

2. Move Furniture Away From Walls

Shift all furniture at least 1 metre away from the walls being painted. For smaller rooms, move furniture to the centre of the room and cover it with drop sheets. For large items, move them to a different room if possible.

Painters bring their own drop sheets but won't move heavy furniture. If you leave a room unprepared, the painter will either charge extra time or paint around the furniture — resulting in an incomplete job.

3. Clean the Walls

Wipe down walls with a damp cloth to remove dust, cobwebs, and grease — especially in kitchens and hallways. Grease or cooking residue prevents paint from adhering properly and can cause peeling.

If there are any areas of mould or mildew, treat with a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 4 parts water) and allow to dry completely before the painter arrives. Alert your painter to any ongoing moisture issues.

4. Note Damage for Your Painter

Walk through each room before the painter arrives and note any holes, cracks, or surface damage that needs repairing. Most painters include minor filling and sanding in their quote — but extensive repair work may cost extra.

Point out any specific areas of concern when the painter arrives so they can allocate the appropriate amount of preparation time and ensure nothing is missed.

5. Ensure Good Ventilation

Interior paint fumes can be strong, especially with oil-based products. Open windows and leave doors ajar to maximise airflow during and after painting. For water-based paints (most modern interior paints), fumes are minimal, but ventilation still helps the paint dry and cure correctly.

Discuss any sensitivities (asthma, pregnancy, young children, pets) with your painter before the job starts so they can recommend low-VOC or zero-VOC paint options.

6. Plan Access and Security

Arrange for the painter to have access to all rooms to be painted. If you work from home, discuss which rooms are being painted on which days so you can plan around the disruption.

For multi-day jobs, discuss how the painter will secure the property at the end of each day. Most painters are happy to work with a spare key or key lockbox arrangement.