How to Prepare Your Home for Interior Painters: A Simple Checklist

Empty room with refinished wood floors and fresh paint

Good news first: if you hired a professional crew, most of the prep is our job, not yours. But a little homeowner preparation makes the project start faster and protects the things you care about most. Here’s the checklist we send RG Pro Painters customers before every interior project.

What You Should Do Before We Arrive

Clear small and fragile items: lamps, frames, plants, electronics, and anything on shelves
Take down wall art and curtains (we’ll remove hardware and fill holes unless you’re rehanging in the same spots)
Empty the tops of dressers and counters in rooms being painted
Secure pets: a closed-off room or daycare day keeps everyone safe and stress-free
Pick your colors: final color decisions before day one keep the schedule tight

What the Crew Handles

Moving and covering furniture with clean plastic sheeting
Floor protection with drop cloths and rosin paper where needed
Masking trim, outlets, fixtures, and hardware
Wall repairs — nail holes, cracks, and dings are part of prep (bigger damage is handled by our drywall repair service)
Daily cleanup and a full walkthrough at the end

A Few Insider Tips

Painting a nursery or bedroom? Low-VOC paint means the room is usually sleepable the same night — just ask for it
Working from home? Tell us which rooms you need; we’ll sequence around your calls
Label anything you don’t want moved and we’ll work around it