The Ins & Outs of interior Painting with a professional

You’ve hired a painting contractor…now what?

You’re ready to get painting! You made your decision on the contractor that you’re going to have paint XYZ areas in your home (hint: it’s PJA Services). You have the start date scheduled. Now all you’re wondering is what to expect when they start?

Of course there’s going to be variables to this depending on the scope and particular details of what you’re having painted, but we can give you some general ideas to prepare you for the fun that is a paint makeover!

If you haven’t already…

You’re going to settle on your color(s). If your contractor offers color consultations, you’ll discuss with them what hues and shades you’re interested in and they can offer their suggestions. If they don’t provide that kind of consulting service, you’ll determine with the help of tools like samples and swatches. Either way, you’ll need to give them your final decision prior to the project start date.

You will clear off the furniture in the room—meaning picture frames, candles, and small decorations of that sort. The painter(s) will most likely take care of moving the furniture off the walls (and this information should be relayed to you ahead of time), but anything on top of the surfaces should be tucked away.

The day of…

The crew will arrive (yay!) They’ll come prepared with all of the necessary tools and materials. They will—as mentioned above—move any furniture off the walls, as needed. Then begins the process of protecting and covering everything that needs to be protected and covered. Drop clothes go down and plastic sheets go up (over the furniture.)

If the project height requires it, scaffolding will get set up (where it will stay for the duration of the job.)

At this point, they’ll begin their process.

You obviously want the paint to adhere to the best of its ability. That means having clean walls. Some crews will manually wipe down. Others will use equipment, e.g. Hepa filtered sanders, to remove debris and prepare the walls for the paint.

Depending on the condition of the walls/ceiling, they may have to use an oil primer. This would happen for things like moisture issues, old & failed paint, prior improper wallpaper removal, etc. Side note: This step should not come as a surprise. This would have been included in your estimate after your contractor has examined the condition of whatever areas you’re having painted.

And now it’s time for a paint party!

There will, of course, be variation from contractor to contractor on what this looks like exactly, but these particulars should be outlined & disclosed thoroughly in the estimate and terms & conditions that they send you. That’s why reading through those documents before signing on the dotted line is so important! You never want to be on a different page than the professional you’re hiring. No one cares more for your home than you do…but you want to make sure that the painter that you hire cares second most.

In terms of timing, something to note is that each coat of paint must be fully dry before moving on to the next coat. Otherwise, you’re looking at future bubbling/peeling.

The overall start-to-finish time frame is variable depending on the scope of the project. However, a seasoned paint veteran, who knows your parameters should have been able to give you an approximate completion date.

Now that everything is painted and dried…

It’s time to get this show on the road. You’ll be oohing and aahing over the finished color while the crew is taking reasonable and thorough measures to clean up—meaning any mess they made in the paint process will be taken care of, not that they’ll be washing your windows and doing your dishes!

We recommend, if your contractor doesn’t already suggest this, asking for a final walk through to ensure your complete satisfaction.

It’s at this point where you can now have friends and family over and in your best Vanna White impersonation model “lookey here at my pretty paint!”

You’ve just read a lot of ought-to’s in regards to what you should expect from your contractor. If, at any point, you’re not seeing these things happen, at the very least, you want to have a conversation. With this information, you can feel better equipped to ask lots of questions up front about their process and ultimately part ways if they aren’t going to fit the bill for what you need. Having anything done to your home can be the most thrilling thing but also the most terrifying thing. Especially when you’re trusting the process to someone else. It’s okay to be selective. It’s your home!

And we hope that the process is slightly less terrifying now that you mostly know what this exciting venture holds!

Happy home beautifying!