How to prep your home for interior painters

CBy Carla Bingham, Painting and Restoration Guides Editor · Updated September 2026

What you should move

Clear anything small, breakable or personal from the rooms being painted:

• Pictures, mirrors and wall art (leave the hooks in; we'll patch or reuse them)
• Items on shelves, tables and mantels
• Lamps, rugs and plants
• Valuables, documents and electronics
• Anything in closets being painted

Put them in a room that isn't being painted first, so you're not moving them twice.

What to leave for the crew

Heavy furniture, beds and sofas are moved to the center of the room and covered by the painters. Floors are covered, outlet plates and switch covers come off, and patching, caulking and taping are part of the job. Very heavy pieces like pianos stay in place and are covered where they stand.

If there's something you'd rather nobody touches, tell the crew lead on day one.

Decide colors before the start date

Color decisions made mid-job slow everything down. Test samples on your own walls in the room's light a week or two ahead: colors look very different at night under warm bulbs than on a sunny afternoon. Decide on sheens too: flat for ceilings, eggshell for most walls, satin for kitchens and baths, semi-gloss for trim and doors.

Write the final choices down per room so there's no guessing.

Plan for people, pets and daily life

Most families stay home during an interior repaint. Rooms are done in sequence, so plan where you'll sleep, work and eat on each day. Keep pets in a closed room or out of the house while doors are open and paint is wet, and keep small children away from work areas.

Low-odor paints make it easier to stay, but good ventilation still helps. Leave a clear path from the entry to each room so the crew can move ladders without asking you to shift things.

Access, parking and the HVAC

Let the crew know where to park, which door to use and whether there's a gate code or alarm. If ceilings are being painted, the HVAC may be turned down in those rooms while paint dries. Tell the crew about any quirks, like a sticking door or an outlet that trips a breaker.

What a typical day looks like

Each morning starts with protection: floors covered, furniture wrapped and the day's rooms set up. Prep comes next, meaning patching, sanding, caulking and spot priming, then ceilings, then walls, then trim and doors, so drips from above never land on finished surfaces.

At the end of each day the crew cleans up, closes paint cans and leaves a clear path through the house. Rooms that are finished are put back together as soon as the paint allows, so you get your space back in stages rather than all at once at the end.

After the painters leave

Paint feels dry within hours but takes longer to cure fully. Wait until the paint has cured, as the can directs, before hanging heavy pictures, pushing furniture against walls or scrubbing marks. Keep the leftover paint, labeled by room, for touch-ups later.

Atlanta interiors generally need repainting every 5 to 7 years; kitchens, hallways and kids' rooms usually come due first.