How to Prepare Your Home for Decorators in London
A practical guide for London homeowners preparing for painters and decorators: moving furniture, protecting floors, removing pictures, managing pets and children, and what to expect day to day.
How to Prepare Your Home for Painters and Decorators
Having painters and decorators in your home is a significant undertaking. The work will transform the space, but the process is disruptive, and a little preparation on the homeowner's side makes everything run more smoothly, protects your belongings, and helps the decorators work more efficiently -- which in turn means you get your home back sooner.
This guide covers everything you should do before your decorators arrive and what to expect during the project.
Moving Furniture and Belongings
Most decorators in London will move furniture to enable their work, but this adds time and cost to the project, and there is always a risk of accidental damage when large, heavy pieces are being shifted by people whose focus is on the walls rather than the furniture. The best approach is to clear the room as much as possible before work starts.
For a bedroom, this means removing all freestanding items that can be taken to another room: lamps, books, ornaments, clothing from open wardrobes, and anything on bedside tables. Large items -- the bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers -- can often stay, pushed to the centre of the room and covered with dust sheets.
For a living room, remove everything that can reasonably be moved: books from shelves, ornaments, cushions, anything on side tables. Sofas and large cabinets can be moved to the centre or against one wall and sheeted.
Kitchens are more complex. Empty worktops completely and remove items from open shelves. If the kitchen contains things that cannot be moved, make sure your decorators know this so they can plan their work sequence around it.
Removing Pictures, Mirrors, and Wall-Mounted Items
Remove everything from the walls before the decorators arrive. This includes pictures, mirrors, clocks, wall-mounted shelves where possible, and any hooks or fixings that are not intended to remain in the finished room.
Leaving pictures on the wall means the decorator must work around them, resulting in unpainted sections that then require a second visit or careful touch-up work. It also means the picture stays in place while dust and splashes are generated nearby, which is not ideal for artwork.
Keep a note of where each picture came from, particularly if you have specific hanging positions you want to reinstate. The decorator will fill and sand the existing holes as part of preparation, so you will need to re-mark positions when rehinging.
Light switch and socket plates can usually be removed by the decorator and reinstated at the end. If you have concerns about electrical fittings, mention them at the quotation stage.
Protecting Floors and Hard Surfaces
Your decorators should bring their own dust sheets and floor protection, but you can help by ensuring the floor is clear and clean before they arrive. A dusty or cluttered floor makes laying protection more difficult and increases the risk of grit being trodden into the drop cloths and transferred to other surfaces.
For hardwood, engineered wood, or tiled floors, speak to your decorator about what floor protection they intend to use. A heavy-duty canvas dust sheet is the standard approach. Thin plastic sheeting alone is inadequate for hard floors -- it traps grit underneath and can be slippery underfoot. Canvas sheets absorb drips and provide a stable walking surface.
For fitted carpets, a combination of canvas sheets and taped-down plastic protection along skirting board edges works well. Ask your decorator to tape the dust sheet to the skirting or floor edge rather than leaving it to shift around during the working day.
Managing Access: Keys and Security
Discuss access arrangements with your decorator in advance. For a project that spans multiple days or weeks, most homeowners either leave a key with the decorator, make arrangements for someone to be present to let them in, or provide a key safe code.
Leaving a key is normal and reasonable for an established contractor, but do trust your instincts. A contractor you have engaged through a recommendation or who has provided references should be trustworthy. If you have any concerns, a key safe with a temporary code is a clean solution.
Agree what time work starts each day. Most decorating teams begin between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning, though start times in central London can be slightly later due to travel. Knowing when to expect them reduces disruption to your morning routine.
Pets, Children, and the Working Environment
Paint products have improved significantly in recent years and most modern emulsions are low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds), but they are not entirely odour-free, and some specialist products -- oil-based undercoats, spirit-based varnishes -- are stronger. Ensure adequate ventilation in rooms being decorated by opening windows where possible.
Pets should be kept away from working areas during the day. Dogs in particular can be distressed by the presence of strangers working throughout the house, and they can inadvertently walk through dust sheets and spread paint. If you have cats, note that they are expert at finding their way into exactly the room you wanted them out of: speak to your decorator about keeping doors closed on freshly painted areas.
Young children should similarly be kept clear of working areas. The chemicals involved are not dangerous with normal precautions, but wet paint, ladders, and open tins of solvent are obvious hazards.
What to Expect Day to Day
On the first day, expect noise and disruption as the team sets up: moving furniture, laying dust sheets, sanding, and filling. This is often the most disruptive day of the project.
Once into the painting phase, the main sensory intrusion is smell. Ensure kitchens and dining areas are accessible for family meals even if decorating is ongoing nearby.
Towards the end of the project, expect a thorough clean-up: dust sheets removed, furniture returned to position, all painter's tape stripped, and any small marks or splashes addressed. A good decorator will leave the property in a clean state at the end of each working day, not just at the project's conclusion.
Allow for drying time before returning the room to full use. Modern emulsions are touch-dry within a couple of hours but should not be washed or scrubbed for at least two weeks after application.