By the Maple Coat Painting team · Updated
How to prepare a room for painters
A good painting day starts the night before. Here's exactly what to do yourself and what our crew takes care of, based on our standard conditions.
Your part
- Clear small and fragile items: ornaments, lamps, plants, electronics, anything personal.
- Take down wall items you can lift safely: art, mirrors, curtains, small shelves.
- Empty closets if the closet interior is in your price.
- Secure pets away from the work area for the day.
- Plan parking within about 50 metres, or tell us before checkout.
- Keep heat and power on.
- Confirm colours. Colours are confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
The crew's part
- Moving larger furniture to the centre of the room and covering it.
- Floor, furniture and fixture protection with plastic and drop cloths.
- Washing walls, light scuff-sanding and filling small holes.
- Two coats, careful cutting-in at ceilings, corners and trim.
- Full cleanup and a labelled touch-up container where practical.
- A photo checklist of the finished work before we ask for approval.
If something unexpected turns up
No extra work happens without your written approval and a price shown first. If the crew finds something the photos couldn't show, they pause, message you the options and cost, and you decide.
Get your price
Related: what's included, cost to paint a room, kids' and pet-scuffed walls.
Questions from Ottawa homeowners
Do I need to move furniture?
Remove small, fragile and personal items. For lived-in rooms the crew moves larger furniture to the centre and covers it.
Should I take pictures off the walls?
Yes, take down art, mirrors and shelves you can lift safely. Filling the nail holes left behind is included (up to about a dozen per room).
What about pets?
Pets need to be secured away from the work area.
Do I have to be home?
Someone needs to give access between 8 AM and 6 PM on the scheduled day.
What happens at the end?
Full cleanup, a labelled touch-up container where practical, and a photo checklist of the finished work before we ask for approval.
Ready for a price on your Ottawa rooms?