FAIMECovered Before a Can Is Opened: How Painters Protect Your Home
In a finished home, especially a custom one with hardwood, stone, built-ins and fixtures you chose one by one, the paint is the easy part. Keeping everything else exactly as it was is the real job. Here is what proper protection looks like, so you know what to ask for.
A professional crew protects your home before it opens a can: floors covered edge to edge, furniture moved and wrapped, fixtures masked or removed, and the work area kept clean every day. Hardwood and stone floors get breathable canvas or a taped-down floor-protection board, not loose plastic, which is slippery and traps moisture. Stairs and walkways are protected along the whole route the crew uses. Furniture is grouped in the middle of the room and wrapped in plastic. Cover plates come off, fixtures and hardware are masked, and anything that is not being painted is taped. With low-VOC paint and good ventilation, most families can stay home during interior painting. Ask for protection to be written into the quote.
What should be covered, and with what
Floors, edge to edge
Canvas drop cloths that stay put and absorb drips, or a heavy floor-protection board taped at the seams on hardwood, tile and stone. Loose plastic sheeting on a floor is slippery and lets paint run to the edges. Tape should be a low-tack type that will not lift a floor finish.
Stairs, hallways and the way in
Every path between the door and the work area: runners on the stairs, covered treads, and a mat at the entrance so nothing is tracked through the house.
Furniture
Moved to the centre of the room and wrapped in plastic, so the walls can be reached and dust and spatter cannot get in. Heavy or fragile pieces such as pianos, glass cabinets and art are agreed in advance.
Fixtures, hardware and millwork
Switch and outlet cover plates removed and kept together, light fixtures and vents masked, door hardware taped or removed, and any built-ins, cabinets or stained wood that is not being painted masked off.
Windows, glass and counters
Glass, frames and window coverings taped or sheeted, and stone or quartz counters covered where the crew works above them.
The air
Sanding dust is the mess people forget. Patches should be sanded with care, rooms closed off with plastic where needed, and HVAC returns covered during sanding so dust is not spread through the house.
How to get your home ready
- Clear small things: photos, art, books, ornaments and anything fragile or valuable.
- Agree who moves the big furniture. Many painters move it to the middle of the room; some heavy or valuable items are better moved by you or a mover.
- Take down curtains and blinds where walls behind them are being painted, unless that is in the scope.
- Plan pets and kids around the rooms being worked on that day.
- Walk the house with the crew lead on day one and point out anything delicate: a new floor, a custom fixture, a cabinet finish you do not want touched.
Can you stay at home while it is painted?
For most interior painting, yes. Modern water-based paints are far milder than the oil paints of the past, and the major lines from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Dulux include low- and zero-VOC interior paints with very little smell. A few things still help:
- Work room by room so bedrooms are usable at night.
- Ventilate: open windows where the weather allows and run exhaust fans while paint dries.
- Ask about products if anyone in the home is pregnant, has asthma or is sensitive to smells, and for nurseries.
- Oil-based primers and stain blockers, sometimes used over water stains or smoke, smell much stronger. Plan to be out of that room, or ask whether a low-odour water-based stain blocker will do the job.
- Paint dries in hours but cures over days to weeks. Put furniture back gently, and wait before scrubbing or hanging heavy art.
Questions to ask before you hire
Good answers
- Protection, furniture moving and daily clean-up are listed in the written quote
- The crew covers the full route, not just the room being painted
- General liability insurance and WSIB coverage, shown on request
- A written workmanship warranty
Warning signs
- “We'll throw some sheets down”
- No mention of protection or clean-up in the quote
- No proof of insurance
- Spraying inside a lived-in home with no plan for masking and overspray
Where FAIME fits
Interior painting, drywall repair and finishing, and trim and door painting are self-performed FAIME scopes for custom homes, houses and condos across Toronto, North York, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Woodbridge, Richmond Hill, Markham, Mississauga, Brampton and the wider GTA. Before work starts you get a written scope that covers the rooms, products, prep and protection, and at handover a walkthrough and a closeout package with the photo record and the manufacturer warranties for the products used.
We also paint buildings that stay in use while the work goes on, such as schools and occupied residential buildings. See who paints occupied buildings in the GTA.
- $2M general liability · Active WSIB (Class G5) · 2-year workmanship warranty
- Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Dulux coatings
Frequently Asked Questions
How do painters protect hardwood floors?
With canvas drop cloths or a heavy floor-protection board taped at the seams, covering the floor edge to edge, plus runners on stairs and walkways. Loose plastic on a floor is slippery and lets paint run. Any tape on the floor should be low-tack so it does not lift the finish.
Do painters move furniture?
Most move furniture to the centre of the room and wrap it in plastic. Very heavy, fragile or valuable pieces such as pianos, glass cabinets and art should be agreed in advance. Who moves what should be written in the quote.
Can I stay in my house while it is being painted?
For most interior painting, yes. Water-based low- and zero-VOC paints have very little smell. Work room by room, ventilate while paint dries, and plan to be out of rooms where oil-based primers or stain blockers are used. Ask about products for nurseries or anyone with asthma or sensitivities.
What is low-VOC paint?
Paint with low levels of volatile organic compounds, the solvents that cause much of the smell as paint dries. The major lines from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and Dulux include low- and zero-VOC interior paints.
How should I prepare my house for painters?
Clear photos, art and small or fragile items, agree who moves the large furniture, take down curtains where walls behind them are being painted, plan pets and kids around the work, and walk the house with the crew lead on day one to point out anything delicate.
Does FAIME protect floors and furniture during interior painting?
Yes. Protection, prep and the rooms and products are written into FAIME's scope before work starts. Interior painting, drywall finishing and trim painting are self-performed across Toronto, Vaughan and the wider GTA, with $2M general liability, Active WSIB (Class G5) and a 2-year workmanship warranty.
Want this looked at properly?
We come out, look at the actual condition, and put the scope in writing. No pricing is given before a site visit — and we will tell you if the work does not need doing.
$2M general liability · Active WSIB (Class G5) · 2-year workmanship warranty