By Absolut Painting · Published October 27, 2026 · No prices in the guides
What the crew does
The crew's first hour in any room is protection. Furniture is moved to the middle or to another room and covered. Floors are papered or sheeted. Light fixtures, switch plates and hardware come off or get masked. Then the preparation starts: holes filled, cracks caulked, everything sanded and spot-primed. At the end of each day the room is tidied and the drop sheets are rolled back so you can move through the house. When the job is done, the furniture goes back and you walk it with the crew before they leave.
What the homeowner does
A few things are easier and safer in your hands than in a painter's. None take long, and all of them make the first morning smoother.
- Take down pictures, mirrors, shelves and anything on the walls. Leave the nails and hooks unless you want the holes filled, and say which.
- Clear the tops of dressers, tables and shelves of breakables, plants and electronics.
- If closets are being painted, empty the floor and the lower shelves. Hanging clothes can usually stay, pushed to one end and covered.
- Pull small furniture and rugs out of the room if you can. Large pieces stay and are covered by the crew.
- Unplug and move computers, televisions and sound systems, or tell the crew which ones they may move.
- Note any walls or spots you want looked at, so nothing is missed on the first walk.
Pets and kids
Wet walls, open paint and ladders are not a good mix with dogs, cats or toddlers. On painting days keep pets in a room that is not being worked on, or out of the house if that is easier. Cats in particular find their way onto freshly painted sills. The crew will tell you which rooms are wet at the end of each day so the family knows where not to lean. Low-VOC paints mean the smell is light, but a nursery is still best left to air overnight before it is slept in.
Parking, access and condo bookings
The crew arrives with ladders, paint, a sprayer where one is needed and drop sheets, and parks close to the door. In a house, a spot in the driveway or on the street outside is enough. If permit parking applies, a visitor permit for the days of the job saves a tow. Prop open the gate if the exterior is being painted.
In a condo, the building usually needs a moving or service elevator booking and a certificate of insurance from the painter before anyone can bring materials up. Ask your property manager what they need, pass it to John, and book the elevator for the first morning. Most buildings also set working hours, usually weekday daytime, and the schedule is written to match them.
What to leave alone
Do not patch or sand the walls yourself before the crew arrives, even with good intentions. A rushed patch has to be redone, and a sanded gloss wall still needs the right primer. Do not pull old wallpaper unless you have asked first, because the wall under it may need more work than the paper did. Do not buy the paint unless you have agreed the product and sheen with John, since the trade account usually makes that unnecessary and the wrong product cannot be returned once tinted.
The first morning
Be there for the first fifteen minutes. The crew walks the rooms with you, confirms the colours and sheens against the quote and checks for anything that has changed since the walkthrough. After that you can leave or stay as you like. A phone number for the day and the alarm code or a key if you are going out are all the crew needs.