By EA Paint & Light Carpentry6 min read
At a glance
- Typical timeAverage
- Often 1–2 weeks, plus weather days
- Settle decisions
- About two weeks before the start
- Trim shrubs
- Room for a person and a ladder
- Weather delays
- Rain, dew, cold and wind stop work
Times are rough averages for planning only. Every house is different — size, condition, repairs and weather all change it. Your written estimate gives the actual schedule for your job.
How do I prepare my house for exterior painters?
Clear a working path around the house: trim shrubs back from the walls, move furniture, grills and planters, and park cars away from the siding. Keep windows closed on painting days, tell the crew where outdoor water and power are, plan for pets and children, give neighbors a heads-up, and agree on the schedule and weather delays.
Two weeks before: settle the decisions
Most delays on a paint job come from decisions that were not made in advance. Get these settled while there is still time:
- Final colors chosen, written down by surface: body, trim, door, shutters
- Written scope agreed, including any carpentry repairs and which surfaces are excluded
- Approval from a condo association, HOA or historic commission if one applies
- Lead-safe work plans confirmed if the house was built before 1978
- A list of problem spots to point out: soft wood, leaks, sticking windows, loose gutters
- A word with neighbors about shared driveways, ladders near the property line, and parking
The week before: clear the outside of the house
The crew needs room to set ladders, lay drop cloths and work along every wall. Anything near the house is at risk of drips, dust or a ladder foot, and moving it beforehand saves time on the first day.
- Trim shrubs and branches back from the siding so a person and a ladder fit behind them
- Move patio furniture, grills, planters, bird feeders and garden decorations away from the walls
- Take down hanging baskets, flags, wreaths and anything screwed to the siding that you want back
- Coil hoses and move hose reels and trash cans out of the way
- Ask about window air conditioners, satellite dishes, cameras and light fixtures before the start
- Water garden beds the day before, since covered plants can get hot under drop cloths
Tip: If the outdoor condenser of a central air system will be covered while the crew works near it, agree beforehand that it stays switched off during that time.
On painting days: inside the house and the driveway
Keep windows closed on the sides being worked on, both to keep dust and spray out and because fresh paint on the sash can stick a window shut if it is opened too soon. If the crew will be painting window sash or removing screens and storms, clear the sills and the area just inside those windows.
Park cars away from the house, and out of the garage if the garage door or its trim is being painted. If the job includes washing, cars parked close to the house can catch overspray and runoff.
Pets, children and the work zone
Ladders, scrapers, drop cloths and open paint cans make the space around the house a work site. Keep pets inside or away from the walls being worked on, and if you use an invisible fence or a dog run near the house, tell the crew where it is. Make sure children know which parts of the yard are off limits during work hours.
On a house built before 1978, where the paint may contain lead, keep children, pregnant family members and pets well away from scraping and out of the soil below the work until cleanup is complete.
Water, power and access
Exterior crews usually need an outdoor water spigot for washing and cleanup and an outdoor or garage outlet for tools. Make sure the spigots are on and working, and let the crew know if a circuit is on a GFCI that trips easily. Unlock gates, share any codes, and agree on where the truck can park without blocking you or a neighbor.
Agree on a way to stay in touch, too: who to call or text with questions, and how you will hear about weather days. A short check-in at the start or end of each day keeps small questions from turning into problems, and gives you a chance to point out anything you have noticed, such as a window that will not close or a spot that was missed.
What the crew does: the stages of an exterior paint job
The number of days depends on the size and condition of the house, but most exterior jobs move through the same stages in the same order. A crew usually protects plantings, walkways, light fixtures and anything that cannot be moved before the first scraper comes out, and works one side of the house at a time so each wall goes through the stages in sequence.
The middle of the job is the part that worries homeowners most. After scraping and spot-priming, the house can look worse than it did before work began, with patches of primer and bare caulk everywhere. That is a normal stage, and it disappears with the finish coats. If rotted wood turns up that was not on the estimate, expect the crew to show it to you and agree on the repair before covering it up.
Setup and washing
- What happens
- Ground covers, plants protected, house washed
- What you will notice
- Wet walls; a pause while the wood dries
Scraping and repairs
- What happens
- Loose paint removed, rotted wood repaired or replaced
- What you will notice
- The most noise and the most debris
Priming and caulking
- What happens
- Bare wood primed, joints caulked, holes filled
- What you will notice
- Patchy-looking walls; this is normal
Finish coats
- What happens
- Body, then trim, doors and details
- What you will notice
- The house changes color quickly
Cleanup and walkthrough
- What happens
- Touch-ups, debris removed, final review together
- What you will notice
- A list of anything to fix before sign-off
Weather delays in New England
Exterior paint needs dry surfaces and the right temperatures, both while it goes on and while it sets. Rain stops work, but so do the less obvious things: a wall still wet from morning dew, a cold start that keeps the surface below the label temperature, a forecast of evening rain that would land on paint before it has set, and strong wind. After a washing or a rainy day, wood needs time to dry before primer or paint.
That means a crew may not work on a day that looks fine to you, and a job can stretch with a wet week. In fall the usable hours shrink as mornings stay damp and dew returns earlier in the evening. Ask how the painter handles weather days and how they will let you know about schedule changes.
A crew that stops for weather is protecting the finish, not losing interest in your job. Paint that is rained on or dewed on before it sets can streak, wash off or fail to bond, and the fix is doing that wall again. If you want the job done before a particular date, such as a family event, start earlier in the season to leave room for a wet stretch.
Before work starts: what to confirm
Most of these belong in the written estimate or the conversation before it is signed: exactly which surfaces are included, the prep that will be done, any carpentry and how unexpected rot will be handled, the products and number of coats, who moves what, the daily work hours, how cleanup is handled, and how the final walkthrough works. It also helps to ask whether leftover paint will be labeled and left for future touch-ups.
Talk to a local crew
EA Paint & Light Carpentry is a painting and light carpentry company based in Northborough, MA. If you would like the house looked at, call (508) 466-5846 or request a free written estimate. Related services: Exterior Painting, Power Washing & Deck Staining.
