House painting in Pleasant Hill is undeniably the most popular DIY home improvement. It’s the most cost-effective way to freshen up the look of your space. Simple coats of paint can dramatically change the look of a room like it’s brand-new again.
Interior house painting is relatively less laborious to do than exterior house painting. However, it doesn’t mean that you should be too relaxed when doing this job. You can still encounter some hassles such as splattered paint and endless coats, that is, if you’re not being careful. Obtaining good-quality paint and proper materials, as well as following these tips, are still necessary in achieving a professional-looking paint finish.
1. In any painting job, good preparation of the surface you’re going to paint is the key to a smooth and successful end result. Proper preparation consists of:
- Cleaning the surface
- Scraping off peeling or flaking paint (but if the old paint remains intact, there’s no need to scrape it)
- Repairing the surface by filling the cracks, nail holes, dents, and any other surface imperfections
- Smoothing the surface by sanding
Remember that no paint, even the best-quality paints, will adequately hide a flawed surface if it’s not cleaned and prepped thoroughly. Make sure that you give yourself time for prepping — about 80% of your painting job will be spent on doing the prep work.
2. Priming before you add color is not really necessary, especially if the surface has been painted before, but adding a primer can give your paint a more professional-looking finish. Using a primer offers the following benefits:
- It is an excellent stain-blocker and can prevent stains from bleeding through the topcoat
- Using primer allows you to apply just one coat of colored paint
- Most importantly, using primer enables more effective paint adhesion
- It allows easier application of lighter-colored paint over previous dark-colored paint
Professional painters consider the primer as a blessing because of these very reasons. You can also buy many other primers which are manufactured for specific purposes such as preventing mildew.
One ingenious tip in using the primer: tint the primer with the topcoat paint. You can do this by mixing a small amount of topcoat paint into the primer. This greatly enhances the topcoat’s ability to hide as well as to bond to the surface.
3. Use drop cloths to protect the floors or furnishings from dripping or splattering paint. Plastic is an inexpensive material for drop cloths. But if you want better value for your money, choose canvas. Canvas is more expensive than plastic but they are better for drop cloths. Here are some of the benefits of canvas drop cloths:
- Plastic becomes slippery when splattered with paint and may result in accidents. You won’t find such problems with using canvas
- Canvas, unlike plastic, lays flat on the surface, meaning it you won’t trip on it
- Canvas can be easily folded to cover corners and doorways
- Canvas can be stored after using it and can be used again
4. When painting ceilings, avoid struggles with mounting a stepladder. Instead, buy extension poles. If you have a room with 8 to 9 foot tall ceiling, you may buy extension poles that can come in various lengths from 18 to 36 inches. Check that your roller’s handle has a threaded hole in the end, and then twist it onto the extension pole.
5. Using paint trays is messy and can create wasted paint. Throw away the paint tray and use a paint grid instead. A paint grid is a metal or plastic screen that latches onto the rim of the bucket. Fill a 5-gallon bucket halfway with paint, and then hang the grid inside the bucket. Dip the roller into the paint and drain the excess paint by rolling it against the screen. This results in faster and more even paint coverage; plus, it’s less messy too.
6. Don’t try to cut in a line and corners of your room. It’s better to always paint the corners first before you paint or roll the entire surface. Doing so will help even out the brushstrokes left on the wall.
7. If you are finished painting for the day but you will still have to paint tomorrow, you don’t have to go through the trouble of washing the paintbrushes and rollers. Instead, drain the paint off your brushes and rollers, and simply wrap them tightly with a plastic food wrap. Double up the wrapping if needed or use aluminum foil if you will not be able to return to painting for several days. Keep the wrapped brushes and rollers in the refrigerator to maintain their working condition. They will stay fresh as you unwrap and use them the next day.
Following these tips will make interior house painting in Pleasant Hill easier. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing your walls looking as good as new once again, thanks to following these tips.
