Tips And Tricks To Painting Like A Professional

July 28th, 2012 Home

One of the most inexpensive ways to give your home a facelift is by painting. It is a great do-it-yourself project that almost anyone can do. Professionals make a considerable amount of their money off of the labor that is involved in painting. If you do-it-yourself, you are instantly saving a ton of cash. Using the tips in this article, you will be able to handle any painting project like a professional.

Planning your project is critical. You need to know what kind of paint to use, what color to paint, and the proper steps involved in painting various areas. Go to your local home improvement store and ask them what kind of paint you should use for painting various areas. Get some samples and put them on the wall to see how they are going to look. Try out different color combinations to find one that suits your needs and your style. Then follow the proper steps below when you are actually painting.

When starting your actual painting, the first step in the project is to clean the surface of what you are going to paint. If you are painting outdoors, you probably need to use a pressure washer. For indoor painting projects, a mild soap and water solution applied with a sponge will do the trick. The paint will adhere to clean surfaces much better than dirty ones. If there are thick coats of paint already on the surface, you might want to consider stripping off the old paint before you put the new paint on.

The next step is to apply a base coat of primer. Some people feel that it is unnecessary to use primer before they paint. This can lead to results that you will not be satisfied with and also shortens the lifespan of the paint. If you do not use primer, you are risking the paint peeling off the walls and wasting your time on the project, so always use primer before painting.

Technique and timing are crucial when painting. Some areas are painted first while others are painted later. Ceilings are always first on the list. If you drop paint on the walls or baseboards, you will be able to cover it when you paint them. So always paint from the top down.

When it comes to walls, make sure that you remove all fixtures and mask off around windows and other areas that you do not want to paint. The time that you spend masking off is well worth it. Removing paint from objects that you did not want to paint is time consuming and can damage those items. Once you have masked off those areas, use a trim brush to paint the areas that require close lines. That way you can use a roller for the larger areas and get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Painting is a great way to give your home a fresh look. If you use the ideas and tips from this article, you will be painting like a professional in no time at all.