Identify the surface and follow the current instructions for your exact products. Do not sand or strip uncertain old coatings. Read the safety guide before disturbing materials.
The week before
Walk the rooms with the quote in hand and check nothing has changed. If you have decided to add a ceiling or change a colour, now is the moment, not the morning we arrive. Buy the paint if you are supplying it, or confirm the colours if we are, and ask any last questions about sheen.
Think about where you will live during the work. Decorating one room at a time in an occupied house is normal; a whole flat done in one go is easier for everyone if you can stay elsewhere for the middle stretch.
- Confirm colours, sheens and any changes in writing
- Agree a start time, parking and where the kit can live overnight
- Tell neighbours if ladders or a van will be outside
- Book pets somewhere quieter if they are anxious
- Clear the wall where your fuse board and water stopcock are so we can find them
What to move and what we move
You move: small and precious things, books, pictures, ornaments, electronics, curtains and blinds, anything in wardrobes you would not want a stranger to see, and anything that would break your heart if it broke. We move: furniture into the middle of the room or out, and we sheet it. We take down light fittings and curtain poles if agreed, and put them back.
Anything heavy or wall fixed, such as a wall mounted television, radiator or built in wardrobe, should be discussed in advance. Radiators are usually taken off the wall to paint behind them, which means the heating off for a day.
While we are there
Expect dust from sanding on the first day or two, contained but present. Expect the smell of paint, mild with water based products and stronger for oil based gloss on woodwork. Expect us at eight and gone by five, radio low or off, and a tidy room every evening with the tools in one place. Expect us to say if we find something unexpected behind the paint, and to ask before spending your money on it.
Keep children and pets out of the working room. Wet paint is at exactly the height of a curious hand or a wagging tail, and fumes from oil paint are not for small lungs.
Afterwards
Emulsioned walls: furniture back the next day, gently. Woodwork in water based eggshell: leave a day before closing doors fully and a week before anything leans on it. Oil gloss: two days before closing doors, and keep the room ventilated for a week. Sleeping in the room the same night is fine with water based paints if the window has been open; wait a night or two with oil based products, longer for anyone with asthma.
Fresh paint is soft for a fortnight. Do not scrub walls, hang heavy pictures on fresh eggshell or push furniture hard against skirtings until then.
| Finish | Sleep in room | Furniture back | Wash or scrub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water based emulsion | Same night | Next day | Two weeks |
| Water based eggshell or satin | Same night | Next day, carefully | Two to four weeks |
| Oil based eggshell or gloss | Two nights | Two days | Four weeks |
| Limewash or clay paint | Same night | Next day | Limewash is not washed, recoat instead |
Common mistakes
- Leaving curtains up
- Not mentioning the alarm code
- Changing the colour on day two
- Closing freshly painted doors
- Hanging pictures the same evening
If anyone in the house is pregnant, has a respiratory condition or is very young, tell us. We will choose water based products throughout and sequence rooms so there is always a fresh air room to retreat to.
Sources & further reading
Original general guidance from Aethos, informed by the resources below. These references cover relevant safety, materials or techniques, not a specification for your property. Product examples are not paid recommendations.
- This Old House: how to paint a room (opens in a new tab)
Preparation and room painting technique. US products and terminology do not always translate directly to UK specifications.