Do Painters Move Furniture for Interior Painting?

Gearing up to paint your home's interior? When gearing up to paint your home's interior in the Denver area, it's important to consider how furniture will be handled. Whether you're planning to paint the entire house or even just one room, your furniture will need to be moved. Furniture is always moved for interior painting to protect it and to give painters plenty of space to access the walls. So it's an obvious question, do painters move furniture for interior painting – or do you have to move it? 

In this article, we detail everything you'll want to know about moving or even removing and storing your furniture before painting begins. We'll describe the importance of moving your furniture, how to protect it, and who you can expect will move it.

Do Professional Painters Move Furniture?

Interior painting is hard work and much of that work involves prep. Most painters will make it clear that moving furniture is an essential prep step but not always a step that's included in their services. So be sure to ask which prep jobs will be your responsibility and what to expect from painters to complete.

A painting company's liability insurance may cover their employees if they move furniture but not necessarily. In general, it’s best to have movers move and painters paint. That way you can ensure your painters are doing what they’re trained for. 

If your goal is a professional paint job, less is always more when it comes to furniture and some degree of moving is always necessary. If you don’t prepare for this, some problems you'll face can include a delayed project start time, responsibility for costs related to the delay, and the possibility your furniture will be damaged.

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How Much Do Denver Painters Charge To Move Furniture?

If you're able to find a pro painter who will move your furniture, be prepared for the cost to quickly add up. Angi.com reports that painters who do move furniture charge between $20 to $50 an hour. Moving your furniture on your own will help keep your painting budget under control.

You should also be aware of other hidden costs that can pop up if you try to paint without moving your furniture and belongings. It's estimated that it may take from 30% to 50% more time to paint a room that's filled with furniture. That extra time certainly will add up to significant labor costs.

What to Do With Your Furniture While Painting

Follow these helpful tips on how to move your furniture and provide room for the painters to work:

Move Your Furniture Out of the Room 

Paint crews simply can't work efficiently if they have to scramble around furnishings or worry about damaging your personal belongings. All furniture, plus personal items such as artwork, lamps, books, and electronics, must be moved.

Moving your furniture may be easier than you think!

• Enlist family and friends to help. Don't try it alone! 

• Use little plastic furniture sliders to save your floors and your back at the same time. You can also use old towels and blankets to safely slide and relocate furniture. 

• Get your hands on a dolly to avoid straining your back, and always use safe lifting techniques (lift with your legs, not your back)!

• When painting just one room, move everything into the center of the room and cover it completely.

• If there isn't sufficient space for painters to work with everything in the center of the room, you'll need to move the contents to another room.

Use Protective Furniture Coverings

Whether you choose to use plastic sheeting, fabric drop cloths, or moving blankets, be sure to completely cover all of your furniture, including the legs. Tape the coverings so they stay secure and provide complete protection. Compare the cost of renting or buying moving blankets and drop cloths. You may find it's worthwhile to buy them if you'll be using them again in the future. Also, be sure to ask your painter what they cover and protect since this could be part of the prep process they are responsible for before painting begins. 

Temporary Storage

If you're planning to paint your entire interior, temporary storage is a great solution to the furniture moving issue. Also, if you have luxury furniture, valuable antiques, or treasured vintage pieces, it can put your mind at rest to move them into storage during painting. 

Ensure Proper Ventilation

With highly improved formulas, paint fumes aren't as volatile as they used to be. But for the sake of your family and the painting crew, you'll want to ensure plenty of fresh ventilation during and after painting. Paints vary in their off-gassing so ask your painter about the type of paint they'll use. 

Zero- or Low-VOC paints are commonly used on interior walls. They dry in several hours and make it safe to sleep in a room after painting. But if oil or other non water based solvent paints will be used, ventilate the room with a fan and plan on an alternate place to sleep until after the paint has cured.

Minimize Paint Splatters

Professional painters cover and protect floors and non-paint surfaces during the painting process. But make sure to ask if they will be responsible for covering your furniture and belongings. 

Because those pesky paint splatters are tedious to remove, you may want to add some extra protection to your covered belongings – especially if you're going to have your ceiling painted or the paint is going to be applied with a sprayer. After you cover your furniture with sheeting or moving blankets, you can wrap selected pieces with stretch film to add an extra layer of protection.

Are Your Rooms Ready for Painting?

Your Front Range painting project will go smoothly when you plan and understand the best ways to move and manage your furniture. After all, it's your responsibility to make sure the walls are accessible to your painting crew. If you have questions, your painter can advise you on efficient ways to move your furniture. 

Singletrack Painting, Denver's premier painting service, has many years of experience with interior and residential painting. We're here to help if you have questions about getting your rooms ready for painting. To get started on a quality paint job you'll love, request a quote today!

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