How to prepare your home before the painters arrive
What you should do — and what we take care of — so the painting project runs quickly and without unpleasant surprises.
The question comes up at every visit: "What do I need to do before you arrive?" Short answer: less than you think. But a few steps on your side save everyone half a day.
What we handle
To avoid any misunderstanding, here's what is part of our job and doesn't need to concern you:
- Covering floors, skirting boards and anything left in the room
- Removing and refitting socket and switch plates
- Filling holes, sanding, washing down and applying undercoats
- Protecting windows, handles and radiators
- Cleaning and tidying the site every evening
You don't need to buy dust sheets or do any sanding.
What genuinely helps us
Clear away anything fragile or personal
Pictures, mirrors, ornaments, electronics, clothes in open wardrobes. We protect furniture, but whatever has value to you — sentimental or real — is safer in another room.
Leave 60 centimetres clear along the walls
Heavy furniture doesn't need to leave: simply pull it away from the walls and group it in the middle of the room. If you can't move it alone, tell us at the visit — we'll factor it into the schedule.
Take down curtains and rails
It takes ten minutes and saves an hour of careful dismantling in the middle of the job.
Arrange easy access
A parking space nearby, the door code, the floor, a lift if there is one. On a Lausanne job site, parking is often the real issue — we handle it if you tell us in advance.
The practical questions
Do you need to be there? Only at the start, to confirm colours and zones, and at the end for handover. In between, many of our clients simply leave us the keys.
Can you live in the home? In most cases yes. We work room by room with low-odour paints. A freshly painted room stays unusable for about one night.
And pets? Plan a closed room or day care: doors stay open and equipment sits on the floor.
After we leave
Ventilate regularly for the first few days. Wait two to three weeks before washing a freshly painted wall: that's how long paint needs to fully harden, even though it's dry to the touch within hours.
Planning a project? During the free visit we go through these points together and you leave with a clear schedule.
