Properly preparing a room for painting allows for faster painting, easy clean up and a more professional look in the end. Follow these steps for the best results.
First, empty the room out as much as possible. Take out large furniture and make sure nothing can obstruct the preparation and painting process. Heavy objects can be moved a few feet away from the wall or moved to the center of the room.
Second, clear the walls and ceiling of decorations such as paintings and posters. Also remove nails, tacks, tape and other kinds of hangers. Patch the holes if they are not needed later with light weight spackle.
Step three is to make sure that every inch of the floor and what ever you do not wish to paint is completely covered. This will help with avoiding getting paint in places you don’t want it. Paint can be sneaky and get to places you could not imagine. Make sure everything is securely covered to avoid messes later. Cover floors with drop clothes and furniture with plastic.
Step four is making sure all the walls are clean before painting. If walls are excessively dirty, paint will not stick as well and it can cause the paint to look messy. Try using a mild house hold cleaner for moderate cleaning or trisodium phosphate for heavy grease deposits. When cleaning entire walls is necessary use a sponge mop to make the work easier and faster. Rinse well with fresh water and allow to dry.
Step five is removing any and all electrical covers and light fixtures. Reinsert the screws so they won’t become lost and they are easier to find later. If the light fixtures are not removed they should be wrapped with tape and paper in order to be protected from paint splatter and make cutting-in easier.
Now you need to protect all windowsills, trim and doors from excess paint. You can do this with blue painter’s tape, which is especially good if you are leaving the tape on for more than one day. You can also use masking paper or plastic. More you do to protect these areas in which you do not wish to paint, the less time you will spent for the clean up.
The next step is repairing cracks or holes in the walls and ceiling. Most small repairs are easily accomplished by the do-it yourself home owner. All repairs need to be done before the painting can begin. Check non-textured walls for excessive roughness and lightly sand if necessary.
Now that everything is properly covered and the repairs are finished apply a stain blocking primer the repaired areas. Any stains, such as water stains or permanent markers, can be primed with the same primer. Allow the primer to dry before you apply any finish paint.
Remember that at least 50% of the work involved with interior house painting is in the preparation of each room.
Being a homeowner is a huge responsibility as the house that you live in is not only the foundation where your nearest and dearest are, but it is your biggest asset in terms of your financial outlook. Many homeowners view this responsibility from both the investment and the family perspectives and as a result, are continually making improvements to their home. Consistent renovations to your home are a way of making your home a happier and more pleasant place to live, as well as to increase the value of your investment should you ever decide to sell your house.
The easiest and least expensive way of increasing both intrinsic and extrinsic value to your home is through interior painting. House painting is a very common means of home renovation that can give your room or set of rooms an instant facelift and is very easy to do on your own. If you decide to add house painting to your list of things to do this year, here are a few tips you should keep in mind before you get that first roller wet.
Painting your home's interiors requires a great deal of preparation and calculation. After you have selected the themes and colors for the room or rooms you are painting, you will need to ensure your rooms are adequately prepared before you begin painting. Even the cleanest rooms and walls will need the surfaces to be prepared before you begin the painting stage.
You first want to take off all of the switch plates from the walls and conduct a thorough dusting of your room. Use a feather duster or broom to sweep out every corner from ceiling to floor and then vacuum the room thoroughly.
Look for any holes or cracks in the wall surfaces and patch them up with spackling paste or wall plaster. Once you have patched any holes, you will then need to sand over the patching or spackling to ensure the patch you have created is flush with the wall. This will ensure a flat even coat of paint on your wall.
Once you have done this, you will have to dust and vacuum again as sanding will create a large amount of dust. Ensure you dust and vacuum not only your floors, but the walls as well. Sanding will leave dust particles that may not be visible to the naked eye, and your paint will find those dust particles if you don't leaving unsightly bumps on your walls.
Your next step before you begin interior house painting will be to wash your walls thoroughly. You can use a mop to reach the corners and higher areas, but you need to wash and rinse your walls of any cleaning residue. Once your walls have dried from the washing, you are ready to begin your interior house painting. Use painters tape to mark off door ways, baseboards, and ceilings so that your paint applications are smooth and even.
If you follow these steps you will find your interior house painting experience to be one that is not only simple, but rewarding. The preparation in interior house painting is often a more arduous task than the actual painting itself. However if you prepare your walls and your rooms properly, you will find the hard work will pay off in beautiful interiors for your home.