Every few years the time comes to paint the rooms of your house again. This is something that there are talented professionals available for but they do charge a hefty fee. For this reason, most people think they can take on this task themselves. We fully support that idea as most of the things in the home can and should be done by the homeowner. Not only does it allow you to keep costs down but it also allows you to have a fantastic sense of pride in your home as you created the living space you reside in. Yet anyone who embarks on the painting project should go in with their eyes open. This is not a project where you simply open a tin, dip a brush, and start painting. There is much more to it than you realize and we are here to help identify some common pitfalls.
Put some sheets down
While you may think that your floor will survive some paint falling on it, you are wrong. The occasional drop of paint can be easily wiped away but when you start painting an entire room those droplets are going to add up. If you don’t catch them quickly they will dry in and be tough to remove from the floor. This could result in stains or damage (if you tackle them with a knife, as I have done in the past) which will be far more distracting than your beautiful new walls could ever be. Lay down some old sheets or blankets to catch any excess paint and keep a rag on hand to wipe anything that does spill.
Use tape but use it wisely
By now we all know that masking tape is essential when painting. You can use it to cover borders, door frames, window sills, and more. This allows you to paint to the very edge of a wall without getting paint on another surface. However, you must be careful. If you leave the paint on too long it will set and when you try to take it off it will remove a layer of paint with it, undoing all your detailed and careful work. Although it may seem easier to leave it on for a while instead of reapplying later, you will pay the price.
Wait for the second coat
Once you have finished painting the first coat you may be anxious to get started on the second. You can see the spots where the new color hasn’t taken hold and you want to fill them in straight away. You must wait. The paint needs to be dry before you go over it with the second coat. The main reason for this is that you may not have a smooth finish when the second coat is done but aside from that you also don’t know how that first coat even looks yet. Until a coat is dry it is very difficult to determine what is required next.
Prime, prime, prime
Priming before painting is like preheating the oven. It is a hassle we just don’t want to do and often are too lazy to bother. Yet just like preheating the oven, it is incredibly important. Your chicken should not go into a cold oven to start slowly cooking and your paint should not go straight on the surface. You need to prime first to ensure a smooth finish. Although this adds to the expense and time taken you can find more and more brands of paint that now include primer.
The final tip is really to have fun. Make painting the house a fun activity for the entire family. As long as you have prepared well there is little damage that the kids can even do. Take your time and make a memory from this mammoth task.