It’s absolutely lovely to live in a home with freshly painted or wallpapered walls.  Once you’ve tidied and organised the house after having it decorated, everything seems so well organised, clean and fresh.  However, before we get to this wonderful stage, there’s the preparation to get underway and of course the challenge of living in your house whilst it is being decorated, which can be quite stressful.

So, once you’ve made the decision to have a room decorated and you have chosen a professional decorator (we recommend Brentwood Decorating), here is a guide to help you prepare your house for the decorators.

Opportunity to De-Clutter – A few weeks before your decorators arrive at your home to mask off your room and cover furniture or flooring in dust sheets, you’ll need to be organised.  You’ll need to clear the room in advance, removing ornaments, books, electrical equipment, toys, cushions and so much more.  With this in mind, this is the ideal opportunity to de-clutter the room.  This means that once it is freshly decorated, you’ll only be moving items back in that you really need.  Have a good think about what you’ll need to put back into the room, will an item match the new colour scheme? Do you still us the item? Does it perform a function that is needed in that room?
 

Packing Boxes – Once you’ve de-cluttered your room, it is time to box up the items you’ll need to remove from it before the decorators arrive.  Your local shops may be able to supply you with some of their left over boxes, so that you can pack items up to store in other rooms in the house.  Remember not to over pack boxes to make them too heavy to carry around, because you’ll need to safely carry them out and then back into the room once it is decorated.
 

Moving Furniture – It’s advisable to make a plan in advance of where you can store furniture items to ensure that the room that’s being decorated is as clear as possible.  It might not be possible to move all of the furniture out of the room and your decorator will be used to working around certain items of furniture, but they’ll be able to work much faster if the room is clearer.  Don’t leave it until they day they arrive to work out how to clear the room.  Assess other rooms in the house, could they accommodate an extra chair or table? Can some items of furniture be dismantled and stored behind items in other rooms? Is there a room(s) in the house that you don’t use to often that could become temporary store rooms?
 

Dusting – Although the work being carried out could create a lot of dust and dirt, it’s better to give the decorators a clean start.  We’d advise you to thoroughly dust and clean the room before the decorators arrive.  This is certainly beneficial if you’re having it painted, because the decorator can come in mask off the areas, quickly prepare the walls and start the painting.
 

Staying Functional – If you’re having the kitchen or bathroom decorated, it’s worth thinking about how you will be able to prepare food or brush your teeth whilst the decorator is working.  If it’s the kitchen, could you temporarily house the microwave and fridge in your living room and cook simple meals there?  If it’s the bathroom, it’s best to be as minimalist as possible, i.e. collect the items together that are the most essential.  You will more than likely be able to use the bathroom once the decorator has left for the day, but they cannot work around your items, so be prepared to be mobile.

For top quality painting and decorating in and around Brentwood, contact Brentwood Decorating to freshen up or give your rooms a fabulous new look.

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