Written by Curtis Tankersley of Just Add Paint. Proudly serving Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Carlisle, and Harrisburg, PA for over 20 years.

Summary:

Preparing your home before professional interior painters arrive helps the project move faster, protects your belongings, and often lowers labor costs. Before painting day, remove wall decorations, clear furniture away from walls, empty shelves and china cabinets, take down curtains and blinds, secure pets, and make arrangements for children if needed. At Just Add Paint, we provide homeowners throughout Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Carlisle, and the Harrisburg area with a preparation checklist before every project so there are no surprises.

Just Add Paint works hard to make sure we have the most knowledgeable, hard-working, and enthusiastic staff in the business. We take our craft seriously and want to make sure our customers sing our praises from the rooftop at the end of every interior painting job. One part of making jobs run smoothly is using high-quality tools and materials. Another part of the equation is getting in and out of your house as quickly as possible. (We love that you invited us in, and do NOT want to overstay our welcome)! We are happy to do as much of the “pre-paint room preparation” as you like, but we assume our customers would prefer to do some of the small stuff to save some money on the job. Well, at least this is what you have been telling us over the years. So here are a few quick tips on How To Prepare Your House For Interior Painting In Mechanicsburg.

Remove Pictures And Wallhangings

Just Add Paint Interior Painting — Please remove wallhangings and pictures to prepare your house before you painters arrive

Removing pictures and wall hangings is a fairly obvious place to start for interior painting. We don’t want to get paint on these things, and also don’t want to damage them. If there are wall hangings that will go back in the same place, simply leave the nail or screw in the wall, and we will know not to fill it. If you remove the nail/screw we will see the hole and know to patch it.

Remove Curtains and Blinds

Removing paint from curtains and blinds is challenging! If they are dirty, this is a good time to dust off the blinds and send the curtains to the dry cleaners. After removal, curtains can be laid out on a couch or bed and we will protect them from paint with plastic. If you are planning to replace the blinds or curtains, just let us know so we can patch the holes. We ask that you do NOT remove any wall anchors that might be holding up curtains or blinds. We have a method for dealing with these, and prefer to start with them still being in the wall. And on a side note… large vertical hanging blinds are prone to breaking, especially if they are more than a few years old. Handle with care if you are dealing with this type of blind!

Remove Everything Possible From Tables And Shelving

You will need to remove lamps, picture frames, candles, knick-knacks, books, plants, and everything else I can’t think of right now. We don’t like dealing with this stuff for several reasons, but most of all because it is tough for us to organize it. Customers are much better off putting things in boxes or laying them out so that these items can easily go back where they came from. We suggest moving boxes, or boxes with an open top, so you can see where everything went.

Remove Contents Of China Cabinets

Just Add Paint China Cabinet — Just Add Paint from Mechanicsburg will not be removing the contents of this china cabinet for free

China cabinets are one of the scariest pieces of furniture I can think of. They are often antiques themselves, filled with lots of valuable antiques. I expect our insurance would cover an accident, but I would prefer not to find out. Please remove all breakable contents from the china cabinets, and we will use furniture sliders to very carefully move this cabinet as needed. Failure to remove valuables from a china cabinet will result in an additional fee, and the need for a signature on a waiver.

Remove Contents From Bathroom

Preparing your house for interior painting — Vanity with lots and lots of stuff on it in Mechanicsburg, help prepare your house for painting

Some bathrooms we encounter have fairly epic amounts of “stuff” on the vanity beside the sink. Sometimes these items are personal, and we can’t believe you didn’t mind us handling them. We ask that you kindly remove all items from the countertop. This includes but is not limited to: Toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps, medication, baskets filled with random items, retainers, clothes (surprisingly common, both clean and dirty), hairbrushes, curling irons, flat irons, cups, plates, candles, sprays, cologne/perfume, books, food, etc. You get the idea. Also needing to be removed from the bathroom: Shower curtains, rugs, and anything hanging on/over the doors. If you are able to remove towel racks and toilet paper holders, that is also very helpful! We will mask off and/or cover everything else to protect it from paint during your interior painting project.

Remove Grandfather Clocks / Pianos / Large Antiques / Giant Pieces Of Furniture

These items fall into a special category because both homeowners and contractors are simply afraid to move them. (And in some cases, we are just not strong enough). We consider these “professional mover” type items. Professional movers are always helpful with the biggest, most fragile pieces of furniture. Moving companies have the best insurance available in the event that anything is damaged. If these items are not movable for any reason, we will do our best to protect them from paint and work around them. Not addressing these items may result in a fee if they prevent access to the wall.

Remove Televisions, Computers, and Stereos/Electronics

As a rule, we do not move anything of this nature because of liability concerns. However, our worries have more to do with not knowing how to hook them back up than anything else. We may be willing to help physically move these items if a homeowner is present to sign a waiver and a storage strategy is in place. We do ask that you have a plan in place for internet access if someone is working from home and a router needs to be unplugged.

Vacuum

This is a much bigger issue for families with pets. But please also be aware that moving furniture, even in the cleanest of homes, creates large amounts of dust. The biggest dust-related problem areas in interior painting are baseboards in carpeted rooms. Pet hair in general and carpet can be a challenging combination, so please make sure you remove as much dust as possible. “We really enjoy the way you got the cat hair to stick in the trim paint” – said no one ever.

Remove Anything Sticky

Paint will not adhere to anything that is sticky. Stickers, decals, glow-in-the-dark stars, double-sided tape, and sticky goop of any kind must be removed before painting. Krud Kutter or denatured alcohol are often helpful when dealing with sticky spots.

Remove Furniture Where Possible

Cluttered room — This room in Mechanicsburg will be challenging for interior painting

Last but not least, please remove as much furniture as possible from the room before painting. We always bring plenty of furniture sliders for the big stuff. The emptier the room, the smoother the painting process will go. Plastic drop cloths will be used to cover any furniture that our crew is not able to remove. Rooms with excessive furniture may incur a fee if they slow down the interior painting process.

Preparing your home before painting doesn’t have to be stressful. Our team provides every customer with a simple preparation checklist before work begins, and we’re always happy to answer questions before your project starts. Whether you’re painting one bedroom or your entire home, good preparation helps us deliver cleaner results, finish faster, and protect your belongings throughout the process.

FAQs:

Do painters move furniture?

Yes. Most professional painters, including Just Add Paint, will move larger furniture when necessary. However, homeowners should remove lamps, electronics, fragile items, and anything stored on shelving before the crew arrives.

Should I remove pictures before painters arrive?

Yes. Remove all wall art before painting begins. If the picture will return to the same location, leaving the nail in the wall lets your painter know not to fill the hole.

Should curtains and blinds be removed?

Yes. Remove curtains and blings whenever possible. This reduces the chance of paint splatter and allows painters to produce cleaner cut lines around windows.

What should I do with pets during interior painting?

Pets should be kept away from active work areas (despite our crew REALLY wanting to pet them). Open doors, ladders, and equipment can create safety hazards for curious dogs and cats.

Do I need to empty closets?

Only if they’re being painted. Closets are often a great place to store extra items from the bedroom if there is room.

Should I empty kitchen cabinets?

No.

Only cabinets being refinished need to be emptied. Standard interior wall painting does not require emptying cabinets.

How much furniture should I move?

Move small furniture and valuables. Most larger furniture can usually remain in the room and will be carefully relocated with furniture sliders and protected by the painting crew.

How long does it take to prepare a house for painting?

Most homeowners spend between one and three hours preparing an average room before painters arrive.

Interior Painting Preparation Checklist

✅ Remove pictures

✅ Remove curtains

✅ Empty shelves

✅ Remove fragile decorations

✅ Secure pets

✅ Discuss alarm systems

✅ Provide bathroom access

✅ Identify parking

✅ Label rooms being painted

Thank you for reading our blog: Just Add Paint’s How To Prepare Your House For Interior Painting In Mechanicsburg. Please feel free to reach out to us for estimates – and also if you are a DIYer and just have some questions we can answer in an email. We are happy to talk shop about all things painting, even if you are planning to do a job yourself!