From the first call to the last brushstroke
People who hire a painter for the first time are often surprised by how much of the job happens before any color goes on. Knowing the sequence helps you plan your own week, spot a shortcut, and know what's coming next. Here is how a typical job runs, whether it's a few rooms or the whole outside of the house.
The visit
A painter should see the job before pricing it. Expect them to walk the rooms or circle the house, look closely at the surfaces, press on soft trim, check for peeling and stains, and measure or estimate the areas. Point out anything that worries you: a ceiling stain, a door that sticks, a sill that looks rotten. The more they see now, the fewer surprises later.
The written proposal
The proposal should list each surface, the preparation it gets, the primer, the products and the number of coats, plus what's excluded. It should say who moves furniture and who supplies the paint. If two proposals look very different, the gap is usually in preparation. Our pricing guide explains what drives the price.
Rules that apply
Iowa requires construction contractors who earn at least $2,000 a year from construction to register with the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, and the department lists painters among the trades that must register. On the lead side, EPA runs the RRP program in states it has not authorized, and Iowa is among the states EPA lists as running its own EPA-authorized program. Both are quoted from their sources below.
Day one: setup
The crew protects what isn't being painted: floors, furniture, shrubs, walkways, light fixtures, hardware. Outside, ladders and drop cloths go up; inside, rooms are cleared and covered. This part can look like nothing is happening, but it's where a tidy job starts.
Preparation days
Preparation is the longest stage on most jobs. Inside, that means filling, sanding, caulking gaps and priming stains. Outside, it means washing, scraping, sanding, repairing soft wood, priming bare spots and caulking joints. A good crew won't hurry past it to start rolling color.
Weather days
Exterior work depends on the forecast. NOAA's engineering weather data for Des Moines lists a 50-year basic wind speed of 90 mph (3-second gust at 33 feet), a 100-year rainfall rate of 3.5 inches per hour and about 60 freeze-thaw cycles in an average year. Those are the Des Moines station's design figures, quoted as NOAA gives them, not Ames readings.
They are reasons for patience. Washed walls need time to dry before primer, and a wall soaked by a heavy rain needs time again before paint. Water that freezes and thaws behind a cracked film is how paint starts to lift, so open joints and cracked caulk get attention before the finish goes on. Expect a crew to lose days to rain, and expect a good one not to paint wet wood just to stay on schedule.
Coats
Primer goes where it's needed, then finish coats. Two thin, even coats generally outlast one thick one. There should be enough drying time between them that the first is firm, not just dry to the touch.
Cleanup and the walk-through
At the end, the crew removes tape, puts back hardware and covers, cleans up and walks the job with you. Look in good light, at a low angle, for thin spots, drips and missed edges. A short touch-up list is normal. Ask for it to be finished before final payment.
Keeping the finish looking right
Ask the painter to leave a labelled can of each color for touch-ups, with the product name and sheen written on the lid. That saves guessing years from now. Our exterior painting and interior painting pages explain each stage in more detail.