Paint It Up

11 Aug, 2011Featured, Inside Improvements

If you are a brave person who wants to take care of all of the painting improvements in your home, then more power to you. I am definitely not that type of person. In fact I just told my husband that I am a really bad painter just so I would not have to help him when painting the walls of our house. I know that seems kind of cruel, but I just do not enjoy painting at all. It ended up that I did have to offer my skills though when I realized that my dear hubby is, in fact, a bad painter. I shared with him some of my acquired knowledge and tips, and so I figured you guys could probably benefit from them also. If you are about to take on a painting project, then follow these guidelines.

Prep, prep, prep. Move furniture, cover floors, tape off molding and borders, clean the walls and get the room prepped for a paint job. Prepping your space right will get your project started on the right foot.

Get the right tools. Using cheap tools when painting will more than likely yield cheap looking results. Use the right tools for the job. Get one nice paint tray and line with with the disposable plastic ones. You will have that good tray forever. Get the rollers and brushes that are recommended for the job. Certain tools are recommended for certain projects, so get the ones that fit your needs.

Take your time. Painting is not something that is going to be quick. So, do not rush through it. If you do you will end up with a pretty yucky paint job. Take your time on it and be prepared for it to take longer than you think. This patience will pay off.

Keep order. That’s right, there is definitely an order to painting. You cannot start from the bottom and go up, as it just does not work that way. When painting you begin with the ceiling. Then go to the walls, followed with the doors. Easy.

Watch your surfaces. You should not, well, you cannot use a latex paint on top of an oil based paint or the other way around unless you sand the walls first. So, if you’re going from one to the other, make sure to wear a mask, sand the walls, and clean them. Then you need to use a primer that is made up of the same thing as the paint you will be using. Oil primer for oil based and latex primer for latex paint.