Home Painting Tips From Pros
The first step to a beautifully painted room is getting the surface ready. This includes sanding away flaws and protecting furniture from paint drips and splatters.
The best way to protect floors, furniture and hardware is by using a canvas drop cloth. It will contain spills and splatters much better than a thin bed sheet.
1. Use a tinted primer.
Many paint companies offer tinted primers, which allow you to match your shade of choice more precisely with underlying surfaces. This saves you money and time by avoiding the need for extra coats of paint.
If you’re going from a light color to a dark color, it is always wise to prime before painting. This will ensure a consistent finish and prevent the underlying staining from showing through over time.
Using a tinted primer will also help the color adhere better to your walls. This is especially important if you’re choosing a lighter shade than the existing one. The best tinted primers will also be stain-blocking, which helps prevent moisture from damaging the surface. If you prefer to skip the tinted primer, most paint and primer in one products will do the trick. Just make sure to buy a high-quality product that you can trust to last. Buying cheap paint can cost you more in the long run as it may wear off or fade faster than its quality competitors.
2. Sand away flaws.
Most homeowners don’t have perfectly smooth drywall, and even if you do, dents and dings can show through paint. One way to hide them is by using drywall compound to fill the imperfections and sand it smooth before painting.
Another common paint problem is bleed-through, which happens when the tannins in old wood seep through fresh coats of paint no matter how many layers you slather on. If this is a problem in your home, lightly sand the surface of the furniture piece with 220-grit paper and then apply two coats of wood-colored finish paint.
Running trails are another frequent paint issue that can be a sign of over-loading your brush or roller, or not wiping drips off the walls before they dry. To fix this, simply sand the surface with a fine-grit sandpaper to smooth out the texture and then repaint with a lighter color. If your furniture is a dark shade, consider adding a clear coat to protect the new paint.
3. Protect furniture.
The way your furniture looks speaks volumes about the aesthetic of your home. It conveys a sense of order, cleanliness, and style. Unfortunately, natural sunlight, frequent usage, and time can cause paint and wood to fade, discolor, and chip. Knowing how to protect your furniture helps you keep it looking fresh for years.
To protect your furniture from spills and splatters, you should clear out the room before you start painting. Take down pictures, ornaments, and other items that are vulnerable to paint. It’s also a good idea to move furniture into the middle of the room for easier maneuvering.
It’s also a good idea to put a sheet on the floor or use a canvas drop cloth. This will catch any splatters and prevent them from staining carpet or soaking into floors. The same goes for doors and hardware. Covering these with small plastic sandwich bags secured with tape is an easy and inexpensive way to protect them from paint splatters.
4. Wait until one wall is finished before starting another.
Unless you are painting an entire room at once, it’s a good idea to start with one wall. Then when you’re done, wait until that wall is completely dry before you start painting another. That way, if you do happen to make a mistake, it won’t be as obvious as if you had painted right over the top of it. This is especially important if you’re using a paint-and-primer combo that may not be as fast drying as a separate primer. It also helps ensure a seamless look when brushing and rolling. This tip is especially important for homeowners who are not experienced with painting. For example, if you have not used joint compound on your walls before, it is crucial to prime them first.
5. Don’t sand the ceiling.
A fresh coat of paint is one of the quickest ways to improve a home’s interior, but it can be equally quick to ruin if you do it wrong. Cheap brushes, sloppy application and lack of proper preparation can turn what should be an exciting DIY project into a dreadful disaster.
Painting the ceiling is not an easy task, and it requires special care to ensure a good finish. It is also important to choose a quality brush and paint, as the quality of these can have a big impact on how your ceiling looks once it’s painted.
If you are painting the entire room, start with the ceiling first. This will help you avoid mistakes and ensure that the walls are not damaged by splatters or roller marks. Be sure to protect floors, furniture and hardware (like doorknobs) with drop cloths or plastic sandwich bags secured with tape. It is recommended to use a stain blocking primer on the ceiling, especially if it has stains from roof leaks or tobacco smoke, as these are often hard to conceal with regular paint.
6. Use a canvas drop cloth.
Whether you’re an expert contractor or a do-it-yourselfer on your next home project, a good quality canvas drop cloth is essential. A canvas drop cloth is a thick, heavy cotton woven fabric designed to absorb paint drips without letting them soak through. Professional painters tend to opt for medium or heavy canvas drop cloths, while the DIY crowd may shop for a light option.
Some canvas options are backed by rubberized butyl for even more leak resistance and extra traction on slippery surfaces like hardwoods and stairs. Plastic drop cloths are another option, but these are usually not leak resistant and provide the least amount of traction. Before placing your canvas drop cloth, be sure to clear the room of furniture and sweep or vacuum the floor. Once in place, tape down the edges with masking tape so they don’t move around while you’re painting. Make sure to overlap the drop cloth slightly so there are no gaps where splatters could seep through.
7. Scrape a ridge in textured ceilings.
Painting may look easy to some, but it takes a lot more than slapping color on walls and ceilings. It’s about proper prep and necessary techniques to achieve that flawless finish. That’s why home painting tips from professionals are so important.
Most pros will paint the ceiling first before moving onto the walls. This allows them to adequately cover the ceiling without worrying that it will mess up their work on the walls. After the ceiling is done, they’ll paint the crown molding before finishing off with the walls and casement trim around windows and doors.
When it comes to the walls, they’ll sand them with a drywall pole sander (not too much though) to smooth out any bumps and lumps. They’ll also sand between coats to ensure an even application and to avoid pulling paint off with the tape. They’ll also sand down any patched areas or nail and screw holes before adding another coat.
8. Paint right over mistakes.
If you’re painting an interior room, inevitably paint will drip or splatter on something it shouldn’t. But if you immediately paint over it with thicker coats, you can actually end up lifting off the paint you just put down, meaning you’ll have to redo the whole room. To avoid this, many pros use a technique called the W method: roll paint onto the wall in a ‘W’ shape and fill in inside that to create a square and prevent it from peeling off.
One other thing that helps with this is using a high-quality caulk for doors, windows and trim. It can help make the molding and trim look smooth, blend in with the rest of the walls and help cut down drafts. Also, when it comes to painting, many pro painters always start by doing the ceiling, then move on to the trim and finally the walls. This order allows them to cover up any splatters and drips that occur along the way, saving time.
9. Wait until one wall is finished before starting another.
Painting may seem like an easy task but there is a lot more that goes into creating a flawless finish than simply slapping paint on the wall. Professional painters have tricks of the trade that they use to help ensure their work is picture perfect.
For example, a painter may decide to use a tinted primer to make sure the walls are ready for the final coat of paint. This helps the paint adhere better to the surface. Then, they will sand away any rough patches or cracks before proceeding to the next step.
Taking the time to prepare a room for painting is important. It may seem like a hassle but the end result will be worth it. After all, a fresh coat of paint can give your home an instant upgrade. So why not follow these tips to make your next painting project a success? Enter your zip below to be matched with top-rated pros!
