Should You Paint Before or After Moving In?

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There is something infinitely exciting about moving into a new house. You have a lot of tasks to occupy your time. This can also be overwhelming between packing, cleaning, organizing, and unloading. Before you can rest there is a lot of work that has to be done. There are a lot of things to consider when you are moving from one house into another. You need to think about what needs to be done to the house before you can move in. The biggest question for most people is usually whether you should paint before or after moving in.

Painting the new house before settling in is always advisable. It can minimize a lot of the stress associated with moving in, save time, and help you make décor decisions before moving in. So, you should paint your house before moving in.

Personalizing your new home and updating everything to match your tastes is an important step in turning your new home into a house. Different people have different preferences as to when to paint their new houses. This is understandable since we all have different ways of doing things.

So, in this article, we are going to discuss in detail why it’s better to paint before moving in, whether you can stay in your house while it’s being painted, and how soon you can move in after painting. So sit back, relax, and read on to find out more. This will certainly be an enlightening read for you.

Is It Better to Paint Before or After Moving

Painting before you move in works best for most people. In fact, it is downright ideal in most cases. True, painting after you move in does have its advantages, but expert painters often recommend painting before moving in.

We have already pointed out several of the tasks you’ll be dealing with when moving houses. For most people, it makes more sense to just add painting to the list. You are already in a go-go-go mode so you may as well get everything done while you have the energy.

Moving houses is usually accompanied by quite a lot of stress and work. Time is often in short supply and a person normally has a lot on their minds at this time. So painting before you move in is a good idea. This is because it will reduce the stress and pressure you are under. It will also save you a lot of time since painters will work with no obstructions at all.

Waiting to paint until after you have moved in may also push back the project longer than necessary. We can all agree that we get comfortable and lazy with our surroundings. Even when you want to paint the house after moving in, the motivation to do so may be non-existent. So it makes much more sense to paint the house before moving in and get it over and done with.

So all in all, painting before moving in is better. You should get in touch with a professional painting company and they will do this for you within no time. That way, when you move into the house, you can begin doing everything that needs to be done without the worry of the painting hanging over your head!

Why Is It Better to Paint Before Moving in?

There are a lot of upsides to painting your house before you move in. These show just why it’s better to paint the house before you move in. These advantages are:

  1. It Is Faster

Just think about it. Painting an empty house takes way less time and effort than painting an occupied home. An empty house will allow the painters to move smoothly from one room to the next. This means that the time spent painting will be less.

  1. It Is Cheaper

The painting contractors usually make cost estimates before painting the house based on the coverage area and the labor used. It will cost you less money to paint an unoccupied house because the painters will work at a faster rate.

  1. An Easy Clean-Up Job

Empty houses are far easier and faster to clean up after a successful paint job. Cleaning up an empty house after the painting is also quick and this will ultimately save you a lot of time.

  1. It’s less messy

By painting the house before you move in, you will avoid scenarios where there are spills, smudges, and fingerprints. This can easily happen if you are actively moving things around before the paint has had a chance to dry completely. By painting before moving in, it becomes easy to protect and cover the floors to prevent messiness.

  1. It provides décor inspiration

We all desire to have expertly decorated houses and most people usually have a vague picture of what décor to include before they move in. So by painting the new house before you move in, you will get a clear picture of what décor pieces and color palettes will work in the space and accentuate your taste.

  1. Avoid paint smell

The smell of paint is harmful to people. It can cause headaches among other things. So by painting before moving in, you can avoid this smell altogether because the paint will have dried.

  1. Moving into a ready house provides relief

The moving process is often tiresome and stressful. So by painting before you move in, you find a place that is completely ready for you. This gives you time to unpack at your own pace without having to worry about a painting projecting looming over your head.

  1. You don’t have to move furniture twice

If you paint before moving in, you won’t have to move furniture to create room for painting. This eliminates unnecessary stress.

These advantages of painting before you move in far outweigh those of painting after you move in. So which is better, painting before or after moving? You guessed right! Painting before moving is the better choice.

Can You Stay In Your House While It’s Being Painted?

For most people, this is a common question that comes to mind, and rightly so. Painting a house comes with a lot of complexities attached. So it’s only natural for you to wonder whether you can live in your house while it’s being painted. Well, we have just the answer for you.

Yes. You can live in your house while it’s being painted. The painters will have to move all your stuff out of the way and the paint job will have to be done one room at a time which may cost you more. You will also have to be careful with wet paint. In the end, it will be very uncomfortable for you to live there when the painting is being done.

Some of the things you’ll have to consider are:

  • Project duration- There’s a lot of work that goes into painting and it may take a while to complete the job.
  • Paint fumes- The fumes emitted from paint are harmful to humans. They may cause severe headaches and in some cases vomiting.
  • Keeping things tidy and out of the way- You will have to ensure that the furniture and all your belongings are out of the way.
  • The workflow- You will need to consult the painters about how the work will flow so you can find a free room to stay.

All in all, living in the house while it’s being painted will be an uncomfortable experience for you.

How Soon Can You Move In After Painting?

This is a question that quite a lot of people usually have, especially people who are in a hurry to move in and get the whole process of moving houses over and done with.

Typically, time should be allowed for the paint to sufficiently dry up such that it will have no blemishes when disturbed. Time should also be allowed for the paint fumes to dissipate and make the house safe and healthy to live in. So exactly how soon can you move in after painting?

Two to three days is ideal. This will be sufficient time for the paint to dry and the fumes to subside. Once you move in, consider ventilating the room properly to allow any remaining fumes to escape.

You should select the right type of paint for your house since the type of paint used determines the danger that the paint fumes pose. You should also consider the time of year. The weather should be ideal to allow the paint to sufficiently dry.

To sum up, painting your house before moving in is a better idea. In the end, it will save you time, money, and a lot of effort. So if you’d like to minimize the stress associated with moving houses, then painting before moving in is the right choice.

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