(Newswire.net — April 27, 2022) — So, you’re getting ready to paint one or more rooms in your home? Great! Home painting is a cost-effective method to modernize, add charm and character, lighten or darken a space, and freshen it up. Before you pick up the brush and start painting, take a moment to read some of the tips we’ve prepared. While we provide home painting services, we also encourage and assist you in completing DIY home projects.
To begin, here are some painting tips that we always give: Then we’ll go into prep work, primers, color selection, and some useful application suggestions.
Alex Trend Painters’ 11 Home Painting Tips:
- Think about the color. Lighter colors may make a room appear larger, while stronger colors can invigorate a drab space. If you’re worried about making too many changes at once, try using a bright color on one wall and a milder, complementary color on the rest. The sheer quantity of color options might be overwhelming, but Alex Trend Painters can help you keep your bearings.
- First, sample and appraise, then paint. Because color might look different in different lighting and shadows, it’s a good idea to buy a small bottle (or bottles) of paint before buying the rest of what you’ll need for your home painting job. Spread it out on the wall or a white poster board and monitor it for a few days under different lighting conditions.
- Examine a variety of paint finishes. Match the sheen to the purpose of the room you’re painting, not just how it appears. In high-traffic areas and on trim, satin and gloss finishes keep up nicely. These finishes are also very easy to clean. Flat finishes can be mixed with glossy finishes in other areas of the room, but they are more likely to get dirty and clean up poorly.
- Preparation is essential. This may be repeated a few times. Prepping takes longer than painting, but cutting shortcuts on things like cleaning walls, removing switch plates, patching, sanding, and taping invariably results in major flaws in the end.
- Don’t forget to start with the primer. Consider primer to be peanut butter sandwiched between two pieces of bread; it hides any flaws under the surface and guarantees that the top layer of paint “sticks.”
- Invest in high-quality equipment. Brushes will be needed in large quantities, including nylon bristle brushes for water-based paint, natural-bristle brushes for oil-based paint, and foam brushes for detailed work. Rollers help you save time, but an extension pole might help you save your back.
- To achieve homogeneity, mix the paint gallons together. Pouring all of your paint into one huge, sealable bucket isn’t simply a time-saver; it also allows you to stir the entire batch together to guarantee color consistency—just in case a discrepancy happens during the separate gallons of paint’s mixing at the store.
- Don’t pay attention to the time. Consider yourself cautious rather than sluggish (particularly when it comes to preliminary work). In the end, you’ll be delighted with the completed product. Allow at least 24 hours for furniture and other things to return to a freshly painted room, and give your walls between two weeks and 30 days to properly cure. In the meanwhile, avoid touching or cleaning the walls.
- Paint that has been left over should be kept.
- Don’t get rid of it. At some time, you’ll probably need it for touch-ups. Store leftover paint in a compact container that you can easily carry around and label properly for extra convenience.
- Keep in mind that paint may be altered — and at a reasonable cost. A “do-over” will take less time even if you hurried to the “sample and assess” stage. Taking a step back might be beneficial, especially if you believe the color you picked is too dominant on all four walls.
Don’t Forget to Prepare!
Allow plenty of time to prepare a wall for painting, and then double that amount just in case. Home painting prep, maybe more than any other household activity, can take a long time to perfect. You may rest confident that the work you put in now will pay dividends in the future when you:
- Curtain rods, door hinges, fixtures, outlet covers, switch plates, and other hardware should all be removed.
- Examine the wall closely, not from afar, for dirt, stains, and scuffs. Even minor stains can bleed through the paint if left unchecked. Many stains may be removed with a moist cloth; others can be removed using a mixture of mild dish soap and water and a soft sponge.
- Remove loose or peeling paint from the wall with a putty knife. Using fine-grit sandpaper, sand the area until it is smooth to the touch.
- Fine-grit sandpaper is used to remove gloss off the wall, which might be in the form of paint or imitation effects.
- Spackling compound is used to fill cracks, holes, and splinters. Press the compound into the gaps with a putty knife, smooth it until it is flat with the surface, and let it cure before sanding it smooth.
- With a gentle brush attachment, vacuum the entire wall from top to bottom. Then, using a tack cloth, wipe the wall clean of any leftover dust.
- Use a light dish soap and water combination or a mild detergent to clean the wall. Allow the wall to dry completely after wiping it dry with a tack cloth.
- Apply painter’s tape to make it easier to apply paint. It should be attached to doors, windows, cabinets, trim, and other architectural aspects. Once the tape is in place, secure it with your fingers or a spoon to prevent paint from seeping below.
- Make a “clean zone” where you may freely move around and scatter drop cloths.
A Few Words on Primer…
Our home painting professionals are perfectionists, which is why they utilize a primer. They believe that priming can make the paint more durable while also reducing the number of applications required to get a flawless finish.
At the same time, they are well aware that many individuals do not feel priming is required, particularly if the painted surface is in good condition with no stains or cracks and they are not attempting to cover an oil-based paint with latex. Of course, the option is yours, but always use a primer on:
- Wood that has not been treated or is raw
- drywall that has been replaced
- Walls that are set to undergo a significant color change (especially from dark to light, but also from light to dark)
In high-humidity and high-moisture rooms, such as the kitchen, baths, and laundry room, apply a stain-blocking primer to prevent the paint from flaking, peeling, bubbling, or blistering.
You could also want to consider “self-priming paint,” which comes in a single container and contains both primer and paint. Just keep in mind that you will get what you paid for in this case, so go with a high-end brand for the greatest results.
How to Select Colors for home Painting:
1) Think about the colors you want to use:
Be aware that before we apply paint to your wall, the specialists will supply you with painted poster board samples. This will allow you to prop the poster board against the wall and examine how the color affects you as natural light conditions vary throughout the day. This suggestion is mentioned first to allay the anxieties of consumers who are so worried about choosing the wrong paint color that they are unable to concentrate on choosing the right one. Allow yourself a day to consider your color choices. Allow yourself a week to consider your color choices. Then tell us if you want to change the color a little or drastically. We encourage our clients to spend as much time as they need since we understand that selecting paint colors is a lengthy process that requires thought and consideration.
2) Pick a Personality and a Mood:
Decide on the personality of the room. We may be Californians, but we think that color sets the tone for a room. (How could it be otherwise?) As a result, we believe it’s critical to employ personality and atmosphere as a backdrop. Do you want a color that will calm and soothe you (as in a bedroom) or will engage and energize you (as in a home office)?
3) Seek Out Inspiring People:
If you can’t find a color that you like – and that you like in your home – hunt for inspiration. Some ideas are almost certainly there in front of you, while others may need some investigation. Consider:
- The design of your home determines the color of your furniture, carpets, and throw cushions.
- A favorite poster or work of art has a prominent color.
- You want to accentuate the trim on a piece of furniture (since choosing a complementary paint color will make that furniture “pop”)
- Magazines, catalogs, and Pinterest are all good options (a treasure trove of ideas, as long as you have the time to browse)
4) The Color Wheel
Make sure you’re ready to “play” with a color wheel. We’ll put one in your hands so you can see how every color has a complimentary “cousin” right in front of your eyes. You may pick a color palette for your home painting job by spending time with a color wheel. It’s also known as a color scheme, and it may help you decide on a lot of things, including paint, decorations, and window treatments.
5) Vibrant Dial Colors
Learn how to “tone down” a bold color like the experts. Many of our customers express an eagerness to add color to their homes at first but lose confidence halfway through the decision process. They’re afraid that warm, welcoming colors like pumpkin-coral or meadow green would overwhelm a wall, forcing them to resort to a “safe option” in the off-white/beige/deep ivory family. This is fine—until it makes you crave the warmer color you were looking for in the first place. Try limiting a splash of color to one wall—the dominating wall—or opting for a lighter shade (or two) of the same hue in this situation.
Tips for applying paint:
It’s now time to put the paint to work! Here are some paint application tips:
1) Never cut corners when it comes to home painting prep work.
Start by preparing your wall as described before in this article. While the wall is drying, double-check that you have enough paint to cover the entire wall in two coats.
A gallon of paint typically covers 400 square feet. Calculate the square feet of a room by multiplying the length by the width. If you’re painting the ceiling as well, follow the same steps. Don’t forget about the trim: divide the length in feet by.5 to obtain the width.
If you’re going to use more than one gallon of paint, combine the gallons in a 5-gallon bucket and swirl to guarantee color consistency.
2) Begin by cutting into the material.
- Fill a small container with paint; it will be simpler to manage while you climb and descend a ladder.
- To “cut in,” apply a strip of paint along the perimeter where the wall and ceiling meet with a 2- to 3-inch trim brush.
- One little portion at a time, cut. To avoid a hard line, alternate using the brush to cut in and the roller to paint the ceiling. (Having a companion helps here; one may hold the brush while the other works on the roller.)
3) go toe-to-toe with the ceiling
- Dip a roller into the paint and wipe off any excess on the paint tray’s or roller grid’s edge.
- Begin at a corner, close to the “cut-in line” you just made.
- Paint across the breadth of the ceiling rather than the length to reduce neck and back strain.
4) Go to the “Main Event” section.
- Allow the ceiling to dry before cutting in along the “crease” line between the wall and ceiling using a trim brush. (Many home improvement stores provide devices to assist with this process if you don’t have a steady hand.)
- Create a swath of paint that reaches out at least 3 inches from doors, windows, moldings, and trim with a trim brush. This procedure will make it much easier to paint the wall.
- Working with a roller, work in 3-foot chunks from the top to the bottom of the wall.
- Apply paint on the roller and make a “W” on the wall. Then, without pulling the roller from the wall, fill it in.
- To get as near to the ceiling and baseboard as possible, turn the roller sideways.
- Don’t try to “squeeze” more paint out of the roller by pressing it against the wall. Simply reload the paint roller.
- If you need to take a break, cover paint buckets or cans, as well as brushes and rollers, with aluminum foil.
5) Apply a coat of paint to the trim.
- Allow for thorough drying of the wall before putting painter’s tape to the baseboard and any trim. Use your finger or a spoon to press it down.
- Using a brush, paint the trim.
- Instead of waiting for the paint to dry, remove the tape as soon as you’re through painting. This should keep the peeling at bay.
Congratulations! Your lovely paintwork is now complete and curing, and you’ll be able to add wall decorations shortly. Even if you adore painting, you’ll undoubtedly agree that, while it’s comparable to icing a cake, it’s far from simple. Painting a home – especially a meticulously painted home – requires time, patience, and expertise. If you become overwhelmed, know that Alex Trend Painters’ “wingmen” have successfully completed several “rescue missions” – and we’d be pleased to do the same for you.