So, you’re moving into a new place and you’re eager to turn it into the perfect home for you and your family – to create a comfortable, cozy, and beautiful living space and to make it feel yours.
One of the simplest and most effective ways to do so is to paint the walls with your favorite colors.
New paint can make your new home feel cleaner, fresher, and more welcoming. It can also help you update the space and give it character. And using your preferred colors will allow you to personalize the place, so it truly feels like home.
The only question is when to paint the walls – before or after you move in.
An empty home is easier and faster to paint. Waiting to paint after you’ve settled in, however, makes the space more harmonious and more cohesive.
So, is it better to paint before or after moving in? Read on to find out the advantages of both options and decide which one is right for you.
Advantages of painting before moving in
Painting before moving in is definitely the more practical option – an empty space is more easily accessible and less time consuming to paint. Besides, painting the home in advance means that it will be completely ready on move-in day, so you will be able to set up the space right away and make it functional and comfortable from the very beginning.
Even more importantly though, having the walls painted in your chosen colors when you move in will create a sense of warmth and belongingness right from the start – your newly painted place will reflect your personality and your style and you will feel at home in your new surroundings.
So, let’s take a closer look at the various benefits of painting before moving in:
More convenient
Painting before moving in means that there are no personal belongings or furniture to get in the way. It is very convenient for the painter, as they have easy access to the walls and plenty of room to move around. There are no obstructions and no obstacles and the painting process goes smoothly and straightforwardly.
In addition to making the job more convenient, painting before the move is convenient for the new owners as well – they don’t need to move heavy items around, or find a place for their furniture to sit while the paint dries, or worry about where to put their clothes while the inside of the closet is being painted, etc.
Faster
Painting an empty home is not only easier than painting an occupied space, but also much faster.
There is no need to move furniture and clutter out of the way, to take down pictures and decorations from the walls, or to cover household items with protective materials – the painting process can begin straight away.
What’s more, when the house is empty, the painters will be able to quickly and effectively tape off as they will have unobstructed access to the walls. And they will be able to work much faster as they won’t need to push and pull household items around or to take precautions to protect your belongings.
Cheaper
Saving time on your painting project can save you money too.
If you hire a painting contractor to do the job for you, they will charge you based on coverage area and labor hours. And since work gets done faster when the house is empty, the painters will spend less time on the project and the final cost will be lower.
Therefore, painting before moving in can greatly reduce the costs of painting the home.
Safer
No matter how careful a painter may be, there is always a risk of spilling the paint and ruining a household item (paint may splatter, a can may get tipped over, a drop cloth may rip, an item may get damaged while being moved back and forth, etc.). Painting before bringing your furniture and other items into the home eliminates the risk of your cherished belongings getting damaged in the painting process. If your items stay in your old home – or in storage – while painting takes place, they will be safe and you will have nothing to worry about.
Painting in advance is safer for the floors too – there is no furniture to go around or over so the floors can be protected much more easily and much more efficiently. (Related: How to protect floors when moving)
Furthermore, painting before moving in reduces the risk of ruining the paint job, as well. When the house is not yet occupied, the paint has time to dry before anyone needs to use the space – and that helps avoid smudges and fingerprints in the wet paint.
Healthier
A new paint job looks great, but the “new paint smell” is quite awful. And it is not just unpleasant, it is bad for the health too – paint fumes contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are quite harmful and can cause headaches and nausea.
So, one of the main benefits of painting in advance is that the paint fumes will have dissipated by the time you move in and the living environment will be safer. That’s especially important if you have young children or of any of your family members has some health problems.
Painting before moving in is the better choice for your and your family’s health.
Saved time and effort
As already detailed above, painting before moving in is more convenient and much faster than painting after the move. Completing the project in advance, however, saves you time and effort in more than one way:
- You don’t need to do things twice – take your large household items to their rightful places in the home, move them to get them out of the way while painting takes place, then move them back in place; put on wall decor, take it down, then re-hang it; cover your belongings to protect them from paint splatter, then uncover them; etc.;
- You don’t need to take extra precautions to protect your belongings during the painting process;
- You will be able to clean the home quickly and easily after the painting job is completed, as the space will be still empty.
Harmonious decor
Surprising as it may be, painting in advance can help you finalize your decor decisions prior to moving in -since you will already have the color up on the walls, it will be much easier to decide what shades and tones will work best in your new space. You will know exactly what color cushions, rugs, and curtains to buy to pull the house together and accentuate your taste.
Achieving a harmonious ambiance is easier when the hues around the home have been chosen to compliment the colors on the walls.
Homey feel
Last but not least, painting in advance allows you to add your personal touch to the place so it feels more like home when you move in.
You will be more at ease surrounded by your chosen colors, the house will reflect your individuality and taste, and the place will feel truly yours right from the start. This will help you settle in and adjust to your new environment much more quickly and easily.
See also: How to make your new place feel like home
Good to know: How soon can you move in after painting?
If you’ve decided to paint your new home in advance, you may be wondering when it will be safe to move in after painting. You need to allow some time for the paint to dry, the fumes to dissipate, and the space to vent – it is, therefore, recommended to wait three or four days before moving into a newly painted place.
Keep in mind though that it may sometimes take a week or so for VOCs to dissipate entirely, so you may want to wait longer if you have young children or family members with breathing conditions.
Now that you’re aware of the many benefits of painting before moving in, it’s time to find out why some experts suggest postponing the project for after the relocation.
Advantages of painting after moving in
As convenient as it may be to paint before moving in, there are several good reasons to wait until you have settled into your new home:
- You will have the chance to see how your items look in the house and find paint colors that match them well. It will be easy to pick the hues and tones that best complement your furniture, upholstery, and decor and create a cohesive interior design. You will be able to paint your new home without worrying about clashing colors and styles;
- You will be able to observe the lighting in the house (both natural and artificial) before committing to a color palette. Colors look differently in different lights, so seeing the light in your new home will help you find the perfect hues and tones for the space;
- There will be enough time to test out different colors (paint a section of a wall to see how the color actually looks in the room and how it looks in different lights), so you can choose the ones that work best in your new surroundings;
- It will be easier to ensure the good condition of the walls. Taking large and heavy items inside your new home is difficult and risky – the walls may easily get scratched, dented, or otherwise damaged during the move-in process. Waiting to paint after the relocation will give you the opportunity to touch up any damage and will ensure that your new paint job won’t be ruined during the move. If you paint before moving in and a wall gets damaged when your items are taken inside the house, you will need to repaint that wall – it will be twice the work. (Related: How to protect walls when moving)
It’s easy to understand why it’s a good idea to paint the walls after moving in. Yet, painting the home while it is still empty is definitely easier.
So, when asking yourself “Should I paint before moving in?”, you need to weigh the advantages of both options and determine what will make the most sense in your situation.
Painting in advance will save you a lot of work and a lot of time – and may even save you some money. There will be no risk to your belongings and to your health and your new place will feel like home from the very beginning.
Painting after the move, however, will help ensure the good condition of the walls and will allow you to feel confident in your color choice.
The decision is yours – choose wisely and have a happy new life in your newly painted new home!
