Before you even start thinking about which professional you’re going to hire for your painting job, there are a few things that you’ll need to think about first.

Of course, you’ll need to know exactly which areas of your home you’ll want painted; and you’ll need to what colors you want where as well. You may also choose to pick out a certain brand of paint to use, but often professional contractors will also be able recommend a specific brand as well. In addition to the details of what you want completed during the paint job, there may also be other specific issues that will affect it, and that you may have to take care of before the painters show up.

These issues could be things like caulking that needs to be taken care of before painting is done, drywall with holes in it that need to be patched up, or doors that need to be hung or taken off their hinges. Sometimes professional painters will do this work for you but often, they’ll also expect that minor household repairs have been taken care of.

While painters will prepare the area for painting with things such as tape and drop cloths, they do also sometimes prefer to leave the bigger jobs to the homeowner. It’s also a good idea to clean any walls or surfaces that are to be painted before the painters come to paint. Paint adheres to, and looks much better on clean and dry surfaces and often, painters will also assume that this has already been taken care of.