Guides Planning
How to prep your home before painters arrive
What you can do in an evening that saves time on the job, and what to leave to the crew.
Updated September 2026
Quick answer
Before painters arrive at your Naperville home, clear small items, pictures and shelves from the rooms, empty bookcases, and give the crew clear access. Leave heavy furniture, covering and taping to the painters. Outside, trim shrubs back from the walls, move cars and outdoor furniture, and open the gates. Tell us about pets, alarms and parking the day before.
Clear the small things
Take down pictures, mirrors, clocks and curtains, and put the hardware somewhere safe. Clear shelves, mantels, dressers and nightstands of small items and valuables. Empty bookcases that sit against walls being painted. This is the part that takes a crew the longest and is easiest for you to do.
Leave the nails in the wall if you want pictures rehung in the same places; tell us so we do not fill those holes. Otherwise, we fill and sand them as part of the job.
Leave the heavy furniture to us
You do not need to move sofas, beds, dressers or dining tables. We pull them to the middle of the room and cover them with plastic and drop cloths, then put them back when we are done. Anything particularly heavy, fragile or valuable, like a piano or a glass cabinet, tell us about in advance.
Electronics can stay if they are powered off and disconnected; we cover them. Wall-mounted televisions are best taken down beforehand, or we can arrange to have them removed.
Make a plan for the rooms you need
If you are staying in the house, think about which rooms you need each day: a bedroom, a bathroom, the kitchen. For whole-house jobs we schedule room by room so those stay usable. For cabinet painting, the kitchen stays usable but without doors for several days.
Tell us about working from home, a baby's nap schedule or anyone sensitive to smells. We use low-odor paints indoors and can plan the order around you. Our interior cost guide explains how scheduling can also affect price.
Want this handled for you?
Call (630) 389-8505 any hour and we will book a walkthrough.
Call (630) 389-8505Outside the house
For exterior work, trim back shrubs and branches so there is at least a foot or two between them and the siding. Move cars off the driveway, outdoor furniture and grills away from walls, and potted plants off the porch. Open the gates and turn off sprinklers the night before so the walls are dry.
Let us know where outlets and hose bibs are that we may use, and about any fences or gardens that need extra care. See exterior house painting for what the crew handles.
Pets, children and access
Keep pets away from the work area and away from open paint, ladders and doors that may be propped open. Children should stay out of rooms being worked on. Tell us about alarm codes, lockboxes and where to park if street parking is limited.
If you are not going to be home, we will agree how to get in and lock up. On multi-day jobs we can leave a short note at the end of each day.
What not to do
Do not patch holes or sand walls yourself unless you are confident; we do that as part of the prep and will redo patches that are not flat. Do not buy paint without talking to us first, since quantities and products matter. And do not remove outlet covers or switch plates; we take those off and put them back.
Most of all, do not worry about the mess: covering, protecting and cleaning up is part of the job. See interior painting for the full process.
FAQ
Questions homeowners ask
No. We move and cover heavy furniture. Just clear small items and wall hangings.
Not usually. We clean where needed as part of prep, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
Yes. We work room by room and use low-odor paints indoors.
It is best taken down beforehand, or tell us and we will plan for it.
Trim shrubs back, move cars and outdoor furniture, and turn off sprinklers the night before.
Not necessarily. We agree access and lock up at the end of each day.
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Learn moreTalk to a painter in Naperville
One number for both offices, answered 24 hours a day.
Call (630) 389-8505Calls answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.