How to Prepare Your Melbourne Home for Painters

Most Melbourne homeowners have two questions before a painting job starts. What do I need to do before the painter arrives, and what does the painter handle? Getting clear on both saves time, prevents misunderstandings, and produces a better result. A painter who arrives to a prepared space can start working immediately instead of spending the first hour shifting furniture or hunting for light switches behind stacked boxes.

The level of preparation required depends on the scope of work. A single-room refresh needs less preparation than a full house repaint. But the principles are the same regardless of job size, and the homeowner’s contribution makes a measurable difference to how smoothly a job runs.

What Your Painter Will Handle

Before you start moving everything out of every room, it helps to know what your painter typically takes care of.

• Drop sheets on floors: Your painter will lay canvas or plastic drop sheets to protect floors, carpet, and fixed furniture. You do not need to cover floors yourself.
• Masking and taping: Painters mask light switches, power outlets, window frames, skirting boards, and door hardware before starting. This is part of the prep work included in a professional job.
• Minor filling and sanding: Small holes from hooks and screws, light scuffs, and minor cracks are typically filled and sanded by the painter as part of surface preparation. Significant plaster damage is a separate conversation and may be quoted additionally.
• Moving small items: Most painters will move small furniture and items to the centre of the room or to a different space if needed. They will not, however, dismantle built-in furniture, move large heavy pieces without help, or pack up personal belongings.

Your Preparation Checklist Before the Painter Arrives

Living areas and bedrooms

1. Remove all picture hooks, wall anchors, and nails from walls. Fill the holes yourself or leave them for the painter but let them know which you prefer when the job is quoted.
2. Move freestanding furniture away from walls. You do not need to clear the room entirely. Pulling furniture toward the centre allows the painter to work around the perimeter without moving large pieces.
3. Take down curtains and curtain rods if the wall or ceiling above the window is being painted. If only the walls are being painted and the rods are well above the paint line, they can stay.
4. Remove artwork, mirrors, clocks, and any wall-mounted items. These cannot be masked in place and need to come down before the painter starts.
5. Pack away or cover small items on shelving, mantelpieces, or window sills to protect from dust and accidental contact.

Kitchens

• Clear bench tops completely. Painters need to access the full perimeter and appliances on benches create obstacles.
• Remove items from the tops of cupboards if the ceiling is being painted.
• If your rangehood or splashback area is being painted around, mention this at quoting some areas require careful masking and more time.

Bathrooms

• Remove personal items from shelves, vanities, and shower niches.
• Take down towel rails and toilet roll holders if the adjacent walls are being painted. Most are held by two screws and take under a minute to remove.
• Ensure the bathroom is well ventilated during and after painting. Leave windows open and run the exhaust fan. Bathroom paint needs air movement to cure properly.

Exterior preparation

1. Move outdoor furniture, pot plants, and garden ornaments away from the perimeter of the house. Your painter needs clear access to all exterior walls and the area beneath any scaffolding or ladders.
2. Retract any shade sails or external awnings that can be moved.
3. Let your painter know about any fixed items near the house garden taps, downpipes, electricity meters so they can plan their masking.
4. Ensure all external doors and gates are accessible so the painter can bring in equipment.

Pets During Painting

Pets need to be managed during interior painting for two reasons: paint fumes and access. Most modern interior paints have low VOC levels and dry quickly, but cats and small dogs can get into freshly painted rooms and walk through wet paint.

The simplest approach is to keep pets in one room that is not being painted that day and move them as the job progresses. If you have dogs that need a yard, let your painter know so they can ensure the external gate is closed during access. Inform your painter upfront if you have pets it affects how they set up and sequence rooms.

Children in the House During Painting

It is completely safe for children to be in the house during interior painting with low-VOC water-based paints. The practical challenge is keeping them away from freshly painted rooms. Most paint is touch-dry within an hour and hard-dry within four, but a child’s hand on a door frame within the first few hours will leave a mark.

If you are home with young children during a painting job, let your painter know which rooms they need access to throughout the day so the sequence can be planned around this.

For more detail on what interior painting involves day by day, see our complete Melbourne interior house painting guide.

Can You Stay at Home During Painting?

Yes. The majority of Melbourne homeowners stay at home during interior painting jobs, particularly for smaller scopes of work. For a full house repaint over a week or more, some homeowners prefer to be out during peak working hours typically 7 am to 4 pm simply because the access to rooms is limited throughout the day.

There is no requirement to vacate. A professional painter works around you, communicates which rooms are out of use and when, and gives you access to the rest of the house throughout.

For exterior painting, there is rarely any reason to leave at all. Exterior work happens outside the envelope of the house and has minimal impact on daily life inside.

How Far in Advance Should You Prepare?

The day before works well for most jobs. You want rooms prepared and accessible when the painter arrives, but you also do not want your home disrupted for days before they start. For a full house interior repaint, working through the preparation room by room in the day or two before is a comfortable approach.

If you are planning to do any touch-up filling yourself covering old nail holes or small scuffs do this two to three days before the painter starts so the filler has time to dry and harden before sanding.

How to Have a Smooth Start on Painting Day

• Have someone home when the painter arrives to show them the scope and answer any last questions.
• Point out anything you want protected or treated specially a piece of furniture too heavy to move, a wall with existing damage, a door that sticks.
• Confirm parking access if the painter needs to bring a van or trailer close to the house.
• Exchange phone numbers so the painter can reach you if a question comes up during the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do I need to move all the furniture before the painter arrives?

You do not need to clear rooms entirely. Moving freestanding furniture toward the centre of the room and removing items from walls is sufficient for most interior jobs. Painters work around furniture and cover what cannot be moved.

2. Do I need to clean the walls before a painter arrives?

Not thoroughly. Painters clean walls as part of their preparation process. However, removing obvious grease marks in kitchens or handprints near light switches is helpful. If walls have mould, let your painter know in advance mould treatment is a specific step that needs to be included in the quote.

3. What if I have fragile or valuable items?

Anything fragile or valuable should be packed away or moved to a room that is not being painted. Drop sheets protect floors and fixed surfaces, but small ornaments and breakables on shelves near walls are the homeowner’s responsibility to secure.

4. Can painters start while I am at work?

Yes, with prior arrangement. Many Melbourne homeowners give their painter a key or leave a door unlocked on the first day. This works well when the scope of work has been clearly agreed in writing so the painter knows exactly what they are doing without needing to check in.