Painting · 31 checkpoints
Painting Prep Checklist
Surface preparation before interior or exterior painting: the walk-through, protecting the room and the grounds, cleaning, scraping and sanding, repairs, caulking, priming and the checks before the first finish coat.
31 of 31 items on the sheet
Tick items off as you go, hide a section or a single line, write a note or add a photo on any row, then save it. Nothing you type, tick or attach here is saved or sent anywhere: a note and a photo print on the sheet and are gone when you reload.
The button opens your print dialog: choose Save as PDF as the destination (or print it straight to paper). The sheet carries only the items you kept.
Sheet details
Optional. Whatever you type prints across the top of the sheet; leave one blank and it prints as an empty line to fill in on site.
Walk-Through With the Client 5/5
Rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab softens most latex finishes and leaves oil-based ones untouched. Latex over old oil-based paint generally needs a bonding primer first.
Paint from before lead restrictions can still be on older buildings. In the United States, disturbing paint in homes built before 1978 is regulated work; other places set their own rules, so check the one that applies where you work.
Protecting the Space 5/5
Cleaning 4/4
Paint over live mildew and it grows back through the finish. Treat it, rinse it and let the surface dry.
Scraping, Sanding and Repairs 6/6
New paint grips a dull, slightly rough surface far better than a glossy one. A quick scuff is cheaper than a peeling callback.
Caulking 3/3
Priming 4/4
Before the First Finish Coat 4/4
Most paints list a minimum temperature on the can. Exterior work also depends on dew and rain in the hours after the coat goes on.
Notes
Optional. Anything you write here prints at the foot of the sheet, after the last section: one place for whatever does not belong to a single line.
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That is the whole sheet.
The button opens your print dialog: choose Save as PDF as the destination (or print it straight to paper). The sheet carries only the items you kept.
This checklist is a working document, not a code inspection or a substitute for a licensed professional. Confirm the current code, permit and licensing requirements for your own jurisdiction before you sign anything off.
What the Painting Prep Checklist Covers
31 checks across 7 sections: Walk-Through With the Client, Protecting the Space, Cleaning, Scraping, Sanding and Repairs, Caulking, Priming, Before the First Finish Coat. Work through it on a phone on site, or export the PDF and carry the paper. Anything you tick prints ticked, a note you write on a line prints under it, and a section you do not need can be hidden before you export.
It is free, there is no account, and nothing you enter is kept. Use it as a starting checklist, not a standard. It is written for general Painting work, so add the checks your own standards and your local code require before you take it to a job.
More Painting Checklists
Built for Painting work: see the Painting job app.
Where Zeus comes in
The checklist is the easy half. Keeping it on hand every time is not.
Print this one as often as you like. Zeus keeps your own checklist on your phone instead, ready before the next job rather than back in a drawer, with a PDF out whenever you need one.
Free plan, no card. Your own checklists and PDF exports are on the free plan.
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