Before vs. After the Move: When to Paint Your New Home

Moving into a new home is exciting. It’s also stressful. You have to clean, organize, and pack up your old home, and then clean, organize, and unpack at your new home. Another thing that most homeowners like to do when they purchase a new home is paint it—both inside and outside. Painting is an easy and inexpensive way to modernize a new home and make it feel more personal.

But should you paint your new home before the move? Or should you wait until after the move to grab the brushes and paint cans? This is a hot-button issue between homeowners. If you’re moving soon and want to know when to paint your new home—before or after the move—here are the pros and cons of each option.

Thinking about painting your home before move-in day? Here are some pros and cons of painting before you settle in.

If you paint before you move, you won’t have to do as much prep before you start painting. That’s because your home is already a blank slate. There’s no furniture and décor to remove or cover. All you need to do is throw down a tarp, remove any outlet covers, put some painter’s tape on the walls, and get to painting. The less prep you have to do before painting, the more time you save.

Still having a hard time believing that this is really your home? A home doesn’t really feel like home until you’ve added your own personal touch to it. Painting before the move will make move-in day much more pleasant. You’ll feel at home in your space immediately instead of feeling like an intruder.

An empty house is much easier to paint because there’s nothing to get in your way. If you hire contractors, they’ll be able to move from room to room much more easily. This will allow them to finish your project faster.

And if you’re paying an hourly rate instead of a flat rate, the shorter the project, the less you have to pay. If your budget is tight after purchasing a home (and it usually is), painting before you move is one way to save money.

If this is your first home, you might not have bought all the furniture and décor yet. In this case, painting your home before you move is a great idea. Choose the color palette for your walls first and then base your furniture and décor decision on that palette. Are your walls painted navy blue? Look for furniture that’s in a blue or purple shade or opt or contrasting colors such as mustard yellow, bright pink, or cherry red.

The main con of painting your home pre-move is that there’s a chance you won’t like the color you chose once you incorporate your furniture and décor into the space. If your walls clash with your furniture, you may need to redo the project after you move. This negates the purpose of doing it before the move in the first place.

Thinking about painting your home once move-in day is over? Here are some pros and cons of painting after you settle in.

Want to make sure your walls and furniture won’t clash? Paint after the move instead of before it. This way, you can see what your furniture and décor look like in a space and choose a color palette that you know will complement it instead of just guessing.

You’ll have a much clearer idea of what you want your space to look like if you paint post-move instead of pre-move. This means you’re much more likely to be satisfied with the final result. And a good final result means you won’t have to spend extra time and money on a do-over.

Waiting until move-in day is over to paint your home gives you extra time to mull over your many options. People who paint pre-move are more likely to make hasty painting decisions that could lead to a messy or unsatisfying final result.

You can’t push back move-in day indefinitely. If you want to paint pre-move, you have to make decisions quickly. But if you paint post-move, you can take as much time as you need to contemplate.

The main con of painting your home post-move is the added time and money cost. You’ll need to spend time removing or covering furniture before you paint. You’ll also probably end up spending more on a contractor. If you’re patient and have money to spare, this isn’t a huge deal, but most new homeowners just want to relax after the big move and are operating on a shoestring budget.

When should you paint your new home? Before or after the move? Is there one option that’s better than the other? Not really. It comes down to what you want to prioritize. Do you prefer convenience over everything else? Or are you fine with a bit of inconvenience if it means achieving the perfect final result?

If you’re somewhere in the middle, why not compromise? You can paint neutral rooms before the move (neutral colors complement everything) and hold off on more colorful endeavors (such as accent walls) until after the move.

This way, you’ll have most of the work done before move-in day. This translates into less prep work when you’re preparing to paint the rest of the walls. Of course, this only really works for interior painting. You should complete exterior painting in one go.

The final verdict is that you should choose whichever option appeals to you. Either way, you’ll end up with a painted interior that’s as pretty as a picture.

Need help with interior and exterior painting in Portland, Oregon? JK Paint and Contracting can lend you a hand. Our expert painters will help you choose the best colors for your home and paint your home to perfection. We’ll even handle cleanup so you don’t have to. Contact us today to discuss your vision!