How to Prepare Your Home Before a Decorator Arrives

A little preparation before your decorator arrives makes everything go more smoothly — and can genuinely affect the quality of the result. Here is exactly what to do, and what not to do, in the days before work starts.

What to Do Before the Decorator Arrives

Clear the Room of Small Items

Remove ornaments, picture frames, small furniture, plants and anything breakable from the rooms being decorated. This protects your belongings and gives the decorator clear access to all surfaces — particularly skirting boards, window sills and wall edges.

Move Valuables and Sentimental Items

Even with the most careful decorator, accidents can happen. Move anything irreplaceable or valuable to another room before work begins. This includes jewellery left on dressers, electronics, and family photographs.

Tell Us About Any Concerns

If there are specific areas you are worried about — a hairline crack you want filled, a damp patch that keeps coming back, a colour you are not sure about — mention these before work starts rather than after. The more information we have, the better the result.

Decide on Colours in Advance

Have your colour choices confirmed before the decorator arrives. Changing your mind mid-job wastes time (which costs money) and can mean repainting areas that have already been done. If you are unsure, test sample pots in the actual room for a few days first.

Ensure Good Access

Clear the path to the rooms being decorated — hallways, stairs, doorways. If parking is difficult near your property, let us know in advance so we can plan for carrying materials in.

What You Don't Need to Do

Move All Your Furniture

You do not need to empty rooms entirely. We move larger furniture within the room as we work and cover everything with dust sheets. Large items like sofas, beds and wardrobes can stay — we work around them.

Prepare the Walls Yourself

Leave surface preparation to the decorator. Well-meaning DIY preparation — filling cracks with the wrong filler, sanding unevenly, applying primer incorrectly — can actually create more work. We will assess and prepare all surfaces professionally before painting begins.

Buy Paint Without Checking First

If we are supplying paint, no action needed. If you are buying your own, check with us first on quantities and finish type — buying the wrong amount or the wrong finish is a common and easily avoided mistake.

On the Day

• Ensure someone is home to let us in at the agreed start time
• Arrange somewhere for children and pets during the working day if possible
• Good ventilation helps paint dry — open windows where practical
• If you have questions during the job, ask — we would rather discuss something than have you unhappy at the end