What order should I paint in an empty home?

Key Takeaway

The best order to paint in an empty home is: ceilings first, then walls, and finally trim and doors. Starting from the top down ensures drips and splatters don’t ruin finished areas below. In some cases, painting trim before walls can make sense, but in most home-sale projects, working from ceilings down to trim produces the cleanest, most efficient result.

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Why Order Matters

In an empty home, you have a rare advantage — there’s no furniture to work around. That makes it tempting to dive in anywhere. But paint jobs look most professional when done in sequence. The right order saves you from extra cleanup, touch-ups, and wasted time. Each stage builds on the last, creating sharp lines and a finished look that feels intentional.

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Step 1: Ceilings First

Always begin with the ceilings. Fresh ceiling paint brightens the room and prevents light from highlighting old stains or yellowing. By starting here, any drips or roller splatter fall onto walls that you haven’t painted yet, so cleanup is simple. Use a flat ceiling paint for best results, and work with a quality roller on an extension pole to minimize streaking.

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Step 2: Walls Next

Once the ceilings are dry, move on to the walls. Walls take the most time and surface area, and painting them after the ceiling allows you to overlap slightly at the edges for a clean cut line later. For an empty home you plan to sell, stick with neutral, buyer-friendly shades like Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, Agreeable Gray, or Accessible Beige. These colors make rooms feel larger, cleaner, and easier to stage.

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Step 3: Trim, Doors, and Baseboards Last

Finish with trim, doors, and baseboards. These areas require the most detail work and benefit from using a semi-gloss or satin finish for durability and wipeability. By saving them for last, you can paint crisp lines over the dried wall color, ensuring sharp edges that give the whole project a professional polish. Tools like a Wooster angled sash brush make this final stage faster and cleaner.

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When It Makes Sense to Reverse the Order

Some professional painters prefer to do trim before walls, especially if spraying is involved. In that method, trim is sprayed and masked off before tackling walls. For most homeowners painting by hand in preparation for showings, though, the traditional ceiling → walls → trim order is simpler and easier to manage.

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FAQ

Q: Should I paint closets before or after main rooms?
Do closets at the same time as the room they connect to. Fresh paint in closets gives buyers the same clean impression as the rest of the house.

Q: Do I need to prime before painting?
If you’re covering bold colors, stains, or smoke odors, yes. Otherwise, high-quality paints with built-in primer are often enough for neutral-to-neutral repaints.

Q: How long should I wait between painting each stage?
Follow the manufacturer’s dry time. Typically, wait at least 24 hours between ceilings, walls, and trim to avoid smudging or pulling paint with tape.

Q: Is it faster to paint an empty home?
Definitely. With no furniture to move or cover, you can work efficiently and maintain cleaner, straighter lines.