Preparing Your Home for a Decorating Project
by Warren's Decorating Center

   

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Whether you do the job yourself or hire someone, there are some steps that you must take to ensure a successful project.
 

General Suggestions

Remove area rugs and scatter rugs from areas where contractors will be walking in and out of the house. If you have them, put down inexpensive cotton rugs that can be washed to help catch some of the dirt.

Discuss in advance whether your contractor will do any necessary plumbing disconnection and reconnection in order to paint, install flooring, etc. This applies to toilets, laundry tubs, washers, dryers, etc.

Also consider how you will keep kids and pets safe and out of the way both when the contractors are present as well as after they leave. If you need to have the contractors store their tools and supplies out of the house during the project for such reasons, be sure to let them know.
 

Painting Preparation

Remove breakables and valuables such as pictures, lamps, vases, figurines, electronics, etc. to another room for safekeeping. If possible, move smaller pieces of furniture out of the room to provide the maximum possible working space and flexibility for moving furniture. Items such as bookcases, china cabinets, and curio cabinets will need to be emptied before the contractor arrives. If closets are to be painted, they also need to be emptied.

Generally, painters will cover and move furniture as needed to paint the walls, ceilings, and woodwork and will put the furniture back in place after the paint has dried, but check with your contractor about whether this is included or a separate charge. Window treatments will also need to be removed. If that is not possible, discuss with your contractor in advance how they will be protected during the painting.

If you are making several changes in a room such as painting and replacing the floors, the order of the projects needs to be considered. That is, it may be better to replace the floors first because it is likely that baseboards and moldings will need at least a touch-up or repainting following installation of the floor. If the painting is to take place first, then make sure your painting contractor knows in advance whether you want him to return for the fix-up.

Flooring Preparation

In this case, everything that is removable must be taken out of the room before the old flooring can be ripped up and the new flooring put in place. Be sure to ask your flooring contractor in advance whether he will be responsible for moving the heavier pieces of furniture and replacing them and whether there is an additional charge for that service. It is probably not a good idea to expect your contractor to reinstall electronics.

Also discuss whether he will remove the old flooring and take it away for disposal as well as the leftover material from the new installation.

Expect that there may be some marks and scratches on the baseboards and moldings during the installation project. Decide in advance whether you will do the necessary touch-up or repainting or you will ask the contractor to do it or hire a separate painting contractor.

Be aware that removal of flooring, especially hardwood and ceramic tile, can create a lot of dust. You may want to cover furniture in adjacent rooms with sheets to prevent dust settling on them. Where possible, contractors will close doors while doing this, but sometimes it's necessary to leave the door open. Sealing off entrances to other rooms might help keep the dust down.

Another worthwhile discussion to have in advance is making sure the new flooring will not affect the doors and framing inside the house. For example, if you are replacing hardwood floors with tile, it can easily happen that the tile is thinner than the flooring being removed. This could leave a gap at the bottom of every door frame. Instead, additional subflooring will be required, which will add to the material and labor costs of the project.
 

Carpet Color, Shading, and Pattern

Many of today's high luster fabrics display a light or dark shade difference in color depending on the direction the carpet is laid in the room. Due to the nature of the manufacturing process, most print and multi-tone patterns are impossible to match exactly. Many of these styles will require additional yardage to achieve the closest match possible. Be sure to ask us at Warren's about these issues to ensure you will get the look you want.