Interior Paint Prep: How to Prepare Your House For Interior Painting ?

If you’re planning on getting your Nanaimo house’s interiors repainted, the right interior paint prep helps your paint go on smoother, dry properly, and look better long-term. 

This checklist covers how to prepare for interior painting, including furniture moves, wall repairs, surface cleaning, and access requirements; so your painting services can start on time and finish efficiently.

Please note: Specific requirements vary with each project. Refer to your quote/contract for site-specific requirements or exceptions to the information listed below.

Interior Paint Prep Checklist in Nanaimo(Summary of Contents)

1. Confirm Products and Scope Before starting Interior Painting service

• Paint colours, sheen/finish and product.

• Colours for each room and the location of feature walls.

• Scope changes since the last revision of the quote.

2. Move Furniture and Personal Items 

• Relocating artwork, family photos, collectibles, electronics, sensitive

• documents, and jewelry from the work area.

• Wall-mounted TVs.

• Emptying closets.

3. Filling Holes and Repairs 

• Confirm what is being filled.

• Notify our team of any holes or mounting hardware that are not being filled or repaired.

4. Surface Preparation 

• Cleaning (prep for painting interior paint walls).

• Removing hardware and light fixtures.

5. Environment and Site Access 

• Site access– door code, alarm, etc.

• Other trades/home service professionals.

• Special consideration for children or pets.

• Parking.

• Access to washrooms, electricity, running water, lighting, etc.

Read Also: Spray Painting vs Roller Painting - Which is better for your Interior?

Confirm Products and Scope Before Starting Interior Painting in Nanaimo

The best way to ensure you’ll love the new colour is to see it.

Apply paint samples in various areas to ensure you’ll like the colour and that it complements your floors, lighting, and furniture.

1. Confirm Colours and Feature Wall Locations 

   
   

We recommend applying a few samples in well-lit areas with bright natural light and in darker areas of your home lit by artificial lighting.

Depending on the time of day and the weather, paint colours can look very different. A warm sunny day will produce warm, yellowish light, especially in the south-facing room. Rooms with north-facing windows will generally appear colder (more blue), especially on a dark, rainy day.

Please confirm the colour and product details with our team in writing, including the locations of any feature walls, at least 2-3 days before painters arrive in Nanaimo.

2. Notify the Painting Team of Any Scope Changes ASAP

If any significant scope changes have occurred since the last revision of the quote, please ensure to notify your painting team ASAP.

Descopes or add-ons may result in additional charges and an adjustment to the final invoice.

Move Furniture and Personal Belongings (Interior Painting Prep)

Remove monetarily, sentimentally and sensitive documents and items as part of your interior paint prep in the rooms being painted.

1. Remove Artwork, Electronics and Sensitive Documents from Work Areas

   
   

Artwork, family photos, collectibles, electronics, sensitive documents, jewelry, and other valuables or delicate items need to be removed from the areas being painted.

2. Clear 3–4 Feet Minimum From All Walls (Prep for Painting Interior Paint Walls)

   
   

Move furniture away from the walls or from under anything our team needs access to, including light fixtures if painting ceilings.

Smaller rooms that don’t have enough space to allow 3-4 feet from all walls can be painted in two sections by shifting the furniture into one corner or against two walls and moving it to the other side once the first section is complete.

3. Tall Walls Require Additional Space for Proper Ladder Safety

   
   

Walls taller than 8-9 feet will require more space to allow for enough room to work safely and set up the necessary ladders and scaffolding. With ladder safety, you need to be one foot back for every four feet up (the 1-4 ladder rule).

Our painters require 5-6 feet of clear space when painting walls above 16-18 feet, which allows 3-4 feet for the ladder and an additional 1-2 feet to move safely and set up equipment.

4. Responsibility for Moving Furniture and Personal Items

   
   

Our team will be cautious when moving furniture or personal belongings. Seriously Painting Ltd. will not accept liability for any damage to items left in the work area that our team must relocate before or during the painting project.

Our team members and painters are not responsible for ensuring that furniture and personal items are repositioned and reorganized.

5. What about wall-mounted TVs?

   
   

Wall-mounted TVs can be unplugged and left on the bracket/wall mount if it can extend or swivel from the wall.

Our team will ensure it is covered with plastic and paint around it.

6. Empty Closets Entirely

   
   

If closets are being painted, they need to be emptied entirely.

7. Operationally Important Electronics and Equipment

   
   

Power off and disconnect any sensitive electronics or other items that are sensitive and or operationally important.

This is more common in commercial tenant improvement projects with servers, payment systems, security systems, alarms, cold storage, etc.

Notify our team if sensitive items, such as servers, appliances, or other devices, need to be properly powered down, turned off, and disconnected before our painters begin work.

Basic Interior Paint Prep (Cleaning + Hardware Removal)

1. Clean Heavily Soiled or Dirty Surfaces

   
   

Clean heavily soiled or dirty surfaces as part of your interior paint prep with a damp cloth using soap and water or degreaser.

High traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms may need to be cleaned before painting to ensure a smooth finish and full adhesion of the paint.

2. Remove Coverplates and Light Fixtures

   
   

Remove hardware, including coverplates, light fixtures, blinds, curtain rods, HVAC vent covers, baseboard heaters and other fixtures.

This helps to speed up the painting process and ensure your project goes smoothly and your home is back in working order ASAP.

Refer to the quote to see if removing hardware is included or excluded in the scope of work. Typically, our team will remove hardware, unless otherwise noted.

Filling Holes and Repairs (Before Painting)

Notify our team during your interior paint prep if there are any nail holes or mounting hardware that you do not want filled/repaired.

1. Confirm What Is Being Filled

   
   

If you’re planning on hanging anything in the same place, we ask that you leave the nails or mounting hardware in place.

Our team will start prep by filling only the empty holes before removing any nails, screw or mounting hardware left on the walls.

2. Confirm What Is Not Being Filled

   
   

If you have empty holes that you do not want filled, including drywall anchors, mark them by writing on a small piece of tape.

Our team of interior painters will take precautions to limit and contain mess, but some dust is inherent in this process.

Seriously Painting Ltd. will perform a thorough cleanup at the end of the job, but the homeowner or occupant will complete the final deep clean.

Read Also: Is Priming Walls Necessary?

Environment and Site Requirements for Interior Painting in Nanaimo

To ensure proper dry time and curing during interior painting, we need temperatures to sit between 18°C to 22°C / 64.4°F to 71.6°F.

1. Minimum Temperatures - 15°C / 59°F

   
   

If temperatures will not reliably reach a minimum temperature of 15°C / 59°F, please notify our team.

2. Maximum Temperatures - 22°C / 71.6°F

   
   

Likewise, if temperatures are expected to greatly exceed 22°C / 71.6°F, please notify our team.

Cooler temperatures may require the use of space heaters and air movers, and may result in additional dry time. Warmer temperatures may call for the use of extenders, such as glycol or Floetrol.

Water-based paints can increase humidity levels inside a home as water evaporates during the drying process.

3. General Requirements

   
   

Our team needs to know how to enter and exit the property, where to park, where to store paint and equipment and if there are special requirements or considerations for children and pets.

4. Alarms and Security

   
   

Confirm with our team if the homeowner or occupant will be available at the start and end of each day to let us in and lock up.

Confirming the passcodes for doors, gates or lock boxes. If the home/business has a security system/alarm system, our team will need to be given instructions on how to disarm and set the alarm and the appropriate hours that crews can be on-site.

5. Other Trades

   
   

Confirm with our team if there are any other trades or home service professionals (cleaners, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc.) that will be on-site during the project.

Our team may need to take special measures to accommodate other professional services or reschedule if the work impedes our ability to work efficiently.

6. Parking

   
   

Please confirm with our team if there are specific parking requirements and details, including designated parking, number of spaces available, parking location, and maximum height (for underground parking garages).

7. Pets and Children

   
   

Our painting team uses low or zero-VOC, environmentally friendly products whenever possible.

We will notify the homeowners or occupants of any specific safety concerns and requirements if it’s necessary to use high VOC primers, stain sealers or paint products.

Arrange for pets to be secured away from painting areas and notify our team if they aren’t friendly or if there are any other specific concerns.

Ensure children do not have immediate access to active work areas for safety. Our team will notify the homeowners or occupants of any specific requirements.

8. Additional Requirements

   
   

Our painters require adequate lighting, power, running water, flush toilets or access to a portable washroom.

Generally, we assume access to the previously mentioned requirements.

If, for any reason, we don’t have easy access to washrooms, water, power or heat, notify our team immediately so we can make the necessary arrangements.

Still have Question about Interior Paint Prep Before We Arrive?

Once your interior paint prep is complete, your interior painting services can move faster with fewer delays and a cleaner finish. 

If you have any questions about how to prepare for interior painting, reach out to us. As the most trusted interior painters in Nanaimo, we’ll help you get everything ready before the start date of our interior painting services.