The empty-house advantage
The cheapest time to paint a house's interior is when nothing is in it. Painters don't move furniture, cover beds or work around a family's schedule. Floors can be covered once and left covered. Rooms can be done in a sensible order, and paint can dry overnight without anyone brushing past it.
That's why many buyers book a painter between closing and move-in. This guide covers what sets the price of that job, with no figures, so you can read a proposal and see what's driving it.
Before the crew arrives: water service
A painter needs running water: to wash walls, rinse rollers and brushes, and clean up each day. In Lima, the city says that to put water and sewer service in your name you must be the deeded owner of record per the Allen County Auditor, a company representative with the owner's permission, or a recent buyer with a deed stamped by the Recorder's office, and you need a completed Water Service Agreement and a picture I.D.
Getting that arranged before the painting start date avoids a lost day. Confirm with the painter whether they need anything else on site, such as power to every room and working lights.
What moves the price
How many rooms, and which surfaces. Walls alone are the baseline. Ceilings, closets, doors, door frames, baseboards, window trim and stair railings each add time. Closets are small but slow, with shelves and rods to work around.
Wall condition. Previous owners leave nail holes, anchors, patched spots, scuffs and sometimes water stains. Each needs filling, sanding and spot-priming. Water stains and smoke or nicotine staining need a stain-blocking primer, or they bleed through the new paint. See our drywall repair and surface preparation guide.
Color changes. Going from a dark or saturated color to a light one may take a primer coat plus two finish coats. Repainting in similar tones usually needs two coats without a primer.
Ceilings. Ceilings are slower than walls, and a stained or textured ceiling adds work. Repainting ceilings at the same time as walls is efficient, since the room is already prepped.
Trim and doors. Glossy old trim needs sanding or a bonding primer so new paint grips. Doors can be painted in place or removed and sprayed; ask which, and how long they'll be out.
Kitchen and bath. Grease on kitchen walls and mildew in bathrooms need cleaning before anything else. These rooms often get a more scrubbable sheen; our sheen guide covers the choices.
Lead-safe work in older homes
Under EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to do work that disturbs paint in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978 must hold RRP certification, including firms and even sole proprietorships, and their workers must be trained in lead-safe work practices.
If the house you bought was built before 1978, sanding trim, scraping old paint or opening walls is covered work. The setup, sealed doorways, covered floors, and a careful HEPA and wet cleanup, adds time to the job. Before you sign, ask whether the firm holds RRP certification.
Cleanup, leftovers and debris
Lima's refuse brochure says up to 3 cubic yards of material may go at the curb with trash containers at no extra charge, excluding unauthorized items such as tires, paint and auto parts; material over 3 cubic yards is removed and charged to the resident, and it can't go out before 6:00 p.m. the day before pickup.
So decide in advance what happens to leftover paint, empty cans, used masking and any old blinds or fixtures the crew removes. Ask whether the painter takes paint and debris away, and whether that's in the price.
Scheduling the gap
A tight window between closing and the moving truck limits how many rooms one crew can finish. A larger crew costs about the same total labor but finishes faster; a short deadline can also mean evening or weekend work. Give the painter your dates when you ask for a proposal.
For the steps in the job itself, see interior painting, and for how painters build a price, read the pricing guide.