- Clear the Room.
When starting a new painting project, take the time to clear everything out of the room. Many painting contractors have learned the hard way to make sure every piece of furniture and accessory is cleared out. Large furniture can be moved into the middle of the room and covered, but if you if there are repairs to the drywall that are necessary, you should move the furniture out of the room as well. Drywall can create quite a lot of dust that will get into the cushions of your furniture and is very hard to completely remove.
- Inspect Everything Thoroughly
Before putting on the first layer of paint, make sure to inspect all the surfaces very thoroughly for any minor cracks, bumps, or nail holes in the wall. You will need to fill, repair, or sand these to make sure the surface you are painting is nice and smooth before you get started. This will ensure that the end result is absolutely perfect. For minor cracks, you can use simple painter’s putty and for deeper cracks you can use plaster of Paris.
- Use High Quality Rollers, Brushes, & Paint
Using high quality materials can mean the difference between a professional looking job and an amateur looking job. Spending the extra money and time to get the best materials will end up saving you a lot of money and headache in the long run. A nice high quality glossy paint is going to be more stain resistant and be easier to clean, which will save you many headaches over the years. For tools, you need a quality roller that soaks up a lot of paint and lays it on evenly, so that the paint is uniform across the surface. A high quality brush will allow you to perform more detailed work like cutting in around trim and other surfaces.
- Make Time for Protection
Time spent covering every surface you don’t want paint on is never time wasted. You will want to make sure you use drop cloths on the floors so that you keep paint where it’s supposed to be. Make sure to cover the little things as well, like doorknobs and other hardware. Also, remove all socket and light switch covers before starting to paint your room.
- Use a Bucket
Most amateur painters will want to use the classic painter’s tray, but you will get a much better experience using a bucket. You can put more paint into a bucket, which will result in a more even color throughout the paint job. A bucket can also be moved around much easier than a tray can, which will make your job easier as you move around the room.
- Keep a Wet Edge & Roll Properly
Keeping a wet edge is key as you move your roller across the wall and will help prevent dry streaks from appearing as you paint. What a wet edge means is keeping your roller wet with paint and only moving your stroke halfway past your last one. It’s a very simple trick that can really make the difference when painting interior walls.
- Paint Top to Bottom
After you have finished painting your baseboards and ceiling, you will want to paint the walls with your roller. When rolling your paint onto a wall, the key is to roll the paint top to bottom. Rolling top to bottom allows the roller to take care of any paint drips that may occur from having a roller full of paint.
These tips should help your painting project come out with a real professional look. While most homeowners will paint a room in their house, not all of them can produce top quality work. If you follow these tips, your guests and neighbors will be asking who you hired to get such great work!
About the Author
Michael Jaconetta is a Licensed Painting Contractor, a General Contractor, and the owner of American Painting & Property Service, a family-owned Florida painting company, dedicated to helping people make their home beautiful. He has over 15 years of experience painting homes and businesses and is passionate about home improvement