You've chosen your colours, booked your painters, and agreed a start date. Now what? A little preparation on your part before the team arrives can make the project run more smoothly, more quickly, and with less disruption to your daily life.
What You Should Do
**Remove small items and valuables.** Take down photos, mirrors, and small decorative items. Pack away ornaments, books from shelves near walls, and any valuable or fragile items. We will protect furniture with dust sheets, but smaller items are easier for you to move than for us to work around.
**Clear surfaces near walls.** Move items from windowsills, mantlepieces, and shelving units close to walls being painted. This gives the team clear access and protects your belongings.
**Inform your building management.** If you live in a flat, let your building management company know about the works. There may be rules about working hours, deliveries, and use of communal areas. We can help with this if needed.
**Plan for disruption.** Painting a room means that room is largely unusable for 2-3 days. Plan accordingly — if we're painting your bedroom, you'll need alternative sleeping arrangements; if the kitchen, plan for eating out or using another room.
**Consider parking.** If your Chelsea street has resident parking, let us know. We may need to arrange a parking suspension for loading/unloading, which requires RBKC approval with advance notice.
What to Leave to Us
**Don't move heavy furniture.** Our team will move and protect heavy items. We have the equipment and experience to do this safely.
**Don't remove light fittings.** We remove and refit light fittings, switch plates, and other fixtures as part of our standard service.
**Don't strip wallpaper.** If wallpaper removal is needed, leave it to us. Incorrect removal can damage the plaster underneath, particularly in older Chelsea properties.
**Don't fill holes yourself.** Professional filling and sanding creates a much better base for paint than DIY attempts. We use the right fillers for each surface type.