How to Prepare Your Yard for Professional Exterior Painting

Do you have an upcoming project and need to know how to prepare your yard for professional exterior painting? Painting your home is a really exciting experience, but it can be stressful if you aren’t sure what to expect. We’ve put our years of experience to work for you with a handy guide for getting started before your big day! By the end, you’ll know exactly what to do to ensure you feel confident and prepared. 

1. Clear the Area Around the Exterior of Your Home

Painters will need room to safely set up ladders and scaffolding and to move about the sides of your home with sprayers and other equipment. They also want to ensure that your belongings are protected. Remember, AMC Painting team members will take care of protecting windows, doors and trim, as well as decks, permanent planters, hot tubs and other immovable fixtures. However, there are some things youcan do before painting day,

• Move patio furniture, planters and grills
• Remove toys, bikes and basketball hoops
• Remove obstructions from walkways

2. Do a Little Pre-Paint Landscaping

Your belongings are not the only thing that may prevent your painter from being able to access all areas of your home. Your landscaping also needs to be adjusted to accommodate your painters. On the bright side, it’s a good idea to keep brush and tree branches away from your roof and siding anyway. In fact, many homeowners’ insurance companies have requirements to keep brush cut back. 

Cut back any low-lying bushes and trees that may prevent painters from safely using a ladder or building scaffolding. Cut large tree branches that are too close to the roof or the side of the house. Remove climbing plants from the walls to make them easier to power wash before painting. If you have a lot of weeds or debris around your home, mow down the brush and clear out trash so the painters can move around easily. We know yard maintenance can sometimes get away from homeowners and we’re not here to judge. We just want to ensure we can give every area of your home our careful attention and work safely around your property.

3. Protect Your Plants

If you have immovable property, fragile plants or specialty landscaping decor, you will want to take precautions to mark and protect these items. Our painters strive to care for your property like it was their own. However, they need your help identifying and protecting your special items. 

• Outline areas of concern during your complimentary estimate and give your painters a heads up on painting day. This will help them know the best way to navigate your yard. 
• Use small flags or other markers to identify areas of caution like fragile plants or garden beds.
• Prop up trellises and support climbing plants that usually lean against the house.
• Water a day or two before your project begins. Your plants will appreciate the cooler soil while they’re stuck under the protective fabric and you won’t have to worry about getting your new paint wet watering your plants. 
• Ask your painting contractor if you need to cover any of the flowers or plants next to your house. AMC Painting team members will protect plants and landscape close to the proximity of your project as part of your service. If your company won’t, you’ll need to cover them with a light cloth.

4. Secure Pets, Kids and People

It is really important to secure your pets during your painting project and to keep your children indoors. The project site can get quite busy, with team members moving in and out of the yard and opening and closing gates all throughout the day. There are a lot of opportunities for a young child or beloved pet to escape! To help your painters keep your pets and kids safe:

• Walk your pet on a leash when letting them out to relieve themselves. 
• Secure pet doors so your pet cannot run outside freely. 
• Keep your pet secure when working with painters. All the activity and noise outside the home can make animals nervous around strangers. 
• Caution your children to avoid going outside or playing around ladders, scaffolding or equipment. 
• Caution children not to touch wet paint after the project is completed.

Adults will also want to remain indoors during the painting process. AMC Painting team members wear personal protective equipment to prevent inhalation of paint droplets and fumes. We strive to keep our customers safe by recommending they stay inside while we are using the sprayers.

5. Alert the Neighbors

It’s always polite to give your neighbors advanced notice whenever you plan to have a crew perform a service. Alerting them that you’re painting is even more important, as it gives them the opportunity to prepare by removing belongings or relocating vehicles along shared alleys, driveways and walkways. Our painters are cautious and work as cleanly as possible, but many neighbors prefer to make the choice for themselves about how to protect shared spaces on painting day. 

6. Shut Off Irrigation and Sprinklers

Exterior paint gets dry to the touch very quickly — but that doesn’t mean it’s completely dry or cured. You do not want to have your sprinkler system kick on hours after the painting crews leave and begin dousing your freshly painted siding. Make sure you shut off the water or re-program the schedule to ensure you won’t be watering close to the house for a couple days. 

A Little Prep Goes a Long Way

These are easy steps you can take to prepare your yard for professional exterior painting. By being proactive with site preparation, you’ll be on your way to a successful painting project!