What happens, in order
The first day is almost entirely preparation and almost no painting, which surprises people. Furniture gets moved to the middle of rooms and sealed rather than draped, floors are covered and secured at the edges so nothing shifts underfoot, and switch plates and hardware come off rather than being taped around. Then the actual preparation begins — filling, sanding, caulking and priming — and that is where most of the hours in the whole job sit.
Painting itself is comparatively quick. Ceilings first, then walls, then trim and doors last, working room by room so you keep somewhere to live. On a multi-room job we finish and hand back spaces as we go rather than having the whole house out of action.
The last day is walking it with you. You and Dale go through every room with a light, and anything you point out gets put right that day rather than added to a list for later. Then everything is cleaned up and the hardware goes back on.
Day one looks like nothing is happening
Preparation and protection take a full day on a whole-house job and produce no visible painting. That is normal and it is the part that determines the finish.
Rooms come back as they finish
We work in sections rather than emptying the whole house at once, so you always have somewhere usable.
We walk it together at the end
Anything you spot on the final walkthrough gets fixed while we are still there and the paint is still on site.
The heating and cooling goes off during sanding
A running return spreads sanding dust through the whole house within minutes. It gets shut down and the vents sealed before any sanding starts.
What we need from you before we start
Not much, but the few things that matter, matter. Take down anything irreplaceable — pictures, mirrors, anything with sentimental value — yourself rather than leaving it to us. We are careful and we are insured, but nobody wants to test either on something that cannot be replaced.
Clear the tops of surfaces and empty anything that will be moved, particularly bookshelves and china cabinets. We will move the furniture; we would rather not be the ones deciding how to pack your things.
Then tell us about the house. Which windows do not open, which door sticks, which room the dog will not leave, where the water shut-off is, and whether there is anything you would rather we did not touch. Five minutes of that at the start prevents nearly every awkward moment later.
Access, keys and being away
Plenty of Port Republic houses sit well down a private lane, and plenty of owners work away from home. It is entirely normal for us to work without you there — most of our customers are not home while the job runs — and it only requires agreeing arrangements up front rather than improvising on the morning.
That means how we get in, how the house is secured each evening, whether there is a gate or a code, and where you would like anything left. Desler Painting is licensed and fully insured, and Dale is the person on site rather than an unfamiliar crew.
If you are away for a longer stretch, that is often the easiest possible arrangement, because the work can run without stopping to hand rooms back. Tell us the dates and we will build the schedule around them. Free written estimates — call (443) 684-4101.
Port Republic questions we get asked
- How long will painters be in our house?
- It depends on the size and how much preparation the walls need, and we will give you a realistic range at the estimate rather than an optimistic one. What is worth knowing is the shape of it: roughly a day of preparation before any painting starts, then the painting itself moving room by room, then a final walkthrough together.
- Do we need to move our own furniture?
- No, we move furniture and seal it. What we would ask you to handle yourself is anything irreplaceable — pictures, mirrors, sentimental pieces — and emptying shelves and cabinets. We would rather not be the ones deciding how to pack your belongings.
- Do we have to be home?
- No, and most of our customers are not. It just needs the access and securing arrangements agreed in advance rather than sorted out on the morning — how we get in, how the house is locked up each evening, and anything specific about the property. We are licensed and fully insured.
- What if we are not happy with something at the end?
- That is exactly what the final walkthrough is for. You and Dale go through every room with a light before the truck is loaded, and anything you point out gets put right that day while the crew and the paint are still there. It is much easier to fix then than a week later.
Full detail
More on Residential Painting
This page covers residential painting in Port Republic. For how the work actually runs — the order we do things in, what is included, and what it costs to put right — read the full residential painting page.
Residential PaintingResidential Painting in Port Republic, MD
Call Desler Painting and you will speak to Dale Miller, the owner, who comes out and looks at the job himself. Estimates are free and there is no obligation.