Preparing for painting work: the checklist

For interior painting

• Clear the room: small items, plants and fragile things out, large furniture to the middle.
• Bare walls: pictures, shelves, curtains and rails down, and say whether the holes should be filled.
• Choose colours: agree colour codes and sheen level beforehand, so no work is held up.
• Facilities: water, power and a place to put materials down.

The painter carefully covers floors and furniture and masks neatly, but the less there is in the room, the faster that goes. If you are at home during the work, also read painting while you live at home.

For exterior painting

Outside, preparation is all about space around the house. Cut back plants and climbers growing against the frames, move window boxes and garden furniture out of the way and make sure the painter can reach all the windows, including at the back. If scaffolding is needed, you may need the neighbours' permission if it stands on their land, or a permit or notification to the municipality if it goes on the pavement. Agree who will arrange that.

Before any painting starts, window frames, doors and fascia boards need to be clean and free of grease, so the paint bonds properly. More about this in the article cleaning woodwork before painting.

Practical arrangements

Agree beforehand what time the working day starts, whether a key is needed if you are not at home and where the painter can park. In many Amsterdam neighbourhoods and in the centre of Haarlem, parking is paid and limited; a visitor's permit or parking card saves costs. If your pets need a place of their own, or there are rooms that do not need any work, say so. Also handy: tell your neighbours when work will be going on, especially with spraying or if scaffolding goes up.

After the job

Agree when you can use the rooms again. Wall paint is often dry after a few hours, but gloss work needs more time to harden. Do not push furniture straight against a freshly painted wall and be careful with doors and frames for the first few days. At the handover you go over the work together. Plan your job through the quote request, where you can also send photos, or first read the step-by-step plan for having your house painted.