First, you have to move the furniture. Isn’t that the worst
part? You want so badly to update your most used room in your home, but, being
that it is the most popular, it’s probably stacked from corner to corner with
stuff!
So, after you move all of the stuff out of the way, cover
your floors and furniture to protect from paint splatter, and slap on your
painting garb, the next step is to paint it right. After all, you want it to
look like a pro did it.
Take a little break from taping off the ceiling line and
read this article for some great tips, from an actual pro, that will give you
“ooo-ahhh” worth paint results.
Prep Time
So you’ve moved the furniture away from the walls and stored
the kids’ toys in their rooms (who knew they had so many!) – next, you need to
put down drop clothes. Quality canvas drop clothes, while more expensive, are a
better option because paint drops are soaked up, which means you’re less likely
to track paint into other rooms. Additionally, plastic drop clothes on hard
surface floors can be a slipping hazard.
Gather all your tools together and keep them close by for
easy access and a quicker painting process. You might want to also add lights
to the room to help you see missed spots. Ideally, you want to work with the
natural light and place lamps and clamping lights in order to eliminate shadows
(which means they’ll have to be moved as the day progresses).
Also, be sure to take down window treatments and other
easily removable accessories like outlet covers. Removal is easier than trying
to keep paint off of them.
One prep item that most home owners ignore, but HA Construction doesn’t, is
cleaning the walls. For the best results against dirt and grime, use TSP (you
can find a box of Trisodium Phosphate at your local hardware store) and hot
water, following the mixture instructions on the box. If there is mildew on the
walls, add a splash of bleach to the mixture.
Caulking and Masking
Another thing homeowners overlook, but really helps provide
that professional result, is caulking baseboard and trim joints. Stick with a
basic acrylic caulking because it paints well (pure silicone caulking actually
repeals paint). If you’re painting a bathroom or kitchen, look for caulking
designated for high moisture areas.
Using tape designated for painting, mask all horizontal
surfaces, primarily tops of baseboards and floors. Tear off the tape in about
foot long pieces as you go, and, pulling the tape tight, lay it on the surface
of the baseboard right up against the wall so no paint seeps (the same goes for
the floor). Be sure to overlap pieces a bit to prevent missed spots. For
baseboards, don’t push the tape all the way down. Instead, leave a “roof” or
hood to help prevent splatter more effectively, and to take the tape off easier
when you’re finished.
Some people choose to mask window and door trim or even the
ceiling. This is, of course, your personal preference. However, because
removing the tape from vertical surfaces without pulling paint along with can
be tricky, and having tape there may result in the overuse of paint, many
experts recommend using a quality trim brush and a patient hand instead of
relying on tape to adequately cut-in at these edges.
So it Begins
You’ve laid the ground work, now it’s time to paint – which
is probably the most intimidating part of the process.
Check out Part Two of this series for tips on priming, cutting in
to corners and tough spots, and even properly cleaning your painting supplies.
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