Interior painting is quite popular amongst people who like to do-it-yourself home improvement, and there’s a good reason for that. There’s absolutely no other affordable way to give your home a great new look with a fresh coat of paint.
Moreover, painting the walls of your room isn’t really something you can’t handle on your own without training. If you’re an able-bodied individual, you have everything you need to paint your rooms like a professional.
We’re here to provide you professional advice, the rest of the things like practice and patience is all yours to handle!
We sat down with our expert team and talked to them about what matters the most when painting a room and how it can be made easy for someone who has never done a paint job before. Follow these tips and tricks and you’ll end up painting your room like a professional.
Begin by Moving and Covering Your Furniture
If you’re giving your home a fresh new coat of paint, it is better to cover everything in your room before you start the painting project. Start by moving furniture and covering anything that you cannot move.
This is especially important if you will be painting all the walls and ceilings of your rooms.
Start by Prepping the Surface
No paint job should be started without preparing the surface you’re going to paint properly. You must begin by scraping, patching, and filling any hole dent, crack and other surface imperfections before you begin.
This is probably the most boring part of giving your home an interior paint job, but it is by far the most important step. If you don’t prep the surface, no matter how expensive or good the paint is, it isn’t going to hide cracks and holes.
The end result would be unprofessional and dirty. Read on this guide to prepare your drywalls for painting.
Also, read the common reasons why paint peels off from the walls and ceilings.
Tint the Primer with Color
If you’re going to paint new drywall, or over a darker shade of color, priming the walls and ceilings is a crucial step. Our expert painters explain that priming any time you paint your home is a smart move.
Primer has three main functions that you should be aware of.
- It blocks stains from bleeding through
- It will allow one-coat coverage for the paint
- It improves the paint adhesion which prevents any peeling and blisters.
Most professional painters always tint the primer to match the finished color by mixing a very small amount of the topcoat paint with the primer. This is an industry secret trick that allows the topcoat paint to entirely hide away any primed surface.
If you want to make the job easier, you could buy a paint that contains primer, but our painting experts insist that you must always use a dedicated primer because it will cover and improve adhesion of the paint better than paints containing primer.
Cover Floors with Canvas Instead of Plastic
You may be inclined to cover the floors of your house with plastic drop cloths because of their affordability, but professional painters at Encore Painting insist that you use canvas drop cloths instead.
Canvas offers more durability and is more resistant to tears. It also easily lays flat and will protect you from falling hazards.
The best thing about canvas is that it absorbs the paint that drips on it, something that plastic doesn’t. What’s even worse is that if paint drips on plastic, it will create a slippery surface that can cause injury if you slip and fall.
Another reason why we recommend using canvas drop cloths is that they can be easily folded and turned around the corners of your room. Canvas drop cloths have a long life, so if you intend to give your home another paint job in the future, you can always use the same drop cloths.
Reach High with Extension Poles
Want to reach the ceilings of your room without the worry of a falling hazard? Avoid ladders and get yourself a telescoping extension pole for paint rollers.
Extension poles are easily available from every home improvement store out there. They come in various sizes and can provide you with an extension of up to 18 feet long. Most homes have 8-9 feet tall ceilings so get yourself a pole that extends at least 18 inches.
We recommend getting an extension pole that has a soft and nonslip grip for better handling. Avoid buying a pole with a plastic handle because they are too flexible and may be hard to handle for some people.
Paint Grid is Better than Paint Tray
If don’t want to create a mess out of the paint job, then avoid rolling paint from paint trays. You can roll directly from a 5-gallon bucket of paint with a paint grid.
A paint grid is basically a rectangular screen made of metal or plastic that will hook onto the rim of the paint bucket. Fill this bucket with paint until it is covering half of it than just hang the paint grid inside.
You can then dip the roller sleeve right into the bucket and roll it against the grid to remove excess paint. It just makes your job easier and mess-free.
Handling an Interior Paint Job Requiring More than One Day to Complete
If you’re giving a fresh new look to your home, there is a good chance that a lot of ground has to be covered. If you feel the interior painting job will take more than one day to complete, then you should be aware of how to store your tools and paint properly.
Instead of cleaning paintbrushes and paint-rollers, roll off any excess paint and wrap the tools in a plastic food wrap. You can double up the seal to prevent any air from entering.
You can keep the tools in a cool room but as we all know, the temperature of Texas can be quite warm, and so our expert interior painters in Texas recommend that you put all your tools in a refrigerator instead.
This will prevent the paint from drying and will protect your equipment. When you are back for the job the next day, simply remove the plastic wrap and you can begin wall painting again!
You can store your equipment like this for many days, especially if you have oil-based or latex paint.
Get Better Results With Help From Professionals
At Encore Painting, we encourage do-it-yourself, however, if you’ve never done a paint job, the results can often be unsatisfactory. There are a lot of problems like inconsistent paint, paint peeling and more.
If you’re not getting the desired results, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We provide professional interior painting services in Texas. Get your free online estimate today by filling this 1-minute form.