Tired of those stained walls and exposed cracks and scuffs? Well, it’s time for you to freshen up your house’s interior look with a brand new and appealing paint job. Choosing a professional house painter in Auckland can be a wise decision as they are capable of handling all types of painting tasks efficiently.Â
In this article, we are going to present you with the 10 best painting techniques for awesome painted walls every homeowner needs to know.
Table of Contents
1. Buying The Best Products
The first important thing to consider when aiming to obtain that clean and high-end finish is to buy the best available products per your budget. Saving some money can indeed be compelling, but in the longer run, you will be compromising your paint’s quality considerably. For example, using a low-quality paint brush will make it look as if the paint was smeared onto the wall with a rake. Plus, the plastic bristles of a low-quality paintbrush are more likely to stick on the walls along with your paint.
Additionally, it is also essential that you buy good quality paint. Although a bit expensive, it will be long-lasting, plus you will have the privilege of washing down any stains without damaging your paint. Furthermore, it will give you the high-quality finish you were expecting. Lastly, do buy some extra buckets as you will need to shake your paint within different time intervals to ensure that it remains fresh. Shaking it simply with a stick will not do the job.
2. Making A Detailed Inspection And Removing Any Flaws
Moreover, like any other job, the first step to ensuring a clean and vibrant coat of paint starts with conducting a thorough inspection. Before you begin painting, look for cracks, greasy spots, flaking, or peeling areas. If you encounter such things, you first need to sand them down. Sanding is important because if you apply your new paint over such areas, it will eventually pull down the old paint along with it.
The goal here is to make the surface as smooth as possible so that the paint can be applied perfectly. This can be done by sanding your walls and ceilings with appropriate sandpaper. You should begin by first sanding vertically and then horizontally to ensure nothing gets missed. In addition, it is always better to wipe down your walls or ceiling with a damp cloth. It will eventually remove dust, stains, or greasy sections, making the surface clean and smooth. As a result, your paint will stick to it perfectly.
3. Making Sure Everything Is Protected
After you have ensured that the surface is perfectly smooth and clean, the next thing you need to do is protect everything you don’t want the paint on. First, begin by taping your trims with a painter’s tape. Remember that using painter’s tape is preferable because of its adhesive properties. Using a standard type of tape leaves a sticky residue behind. As a result, dirt might stick to the surface of the trims along with paint.
In addition, it is pretty irritating to find that paint bled through the tape and got stuck on the trims. You will have to go through the trouble of scraping all the unwanted paint off the trims and then repainting them for a cleaner finish, which could be quite discouraging. Besides this, paint causes standard tapes to wrinkle, eventually resulting in the paint seeping down on your trims. Either way, it is better to stay cautious.
Next, gather all of your furniture in the center of the room and cover it up with a plastic sheet, and then cover your floor with drop clothes. You may think that using old bed sheets or a standard plastic sheet might do the trick here, but there are reasons you should avoid using them. In the first place, plastic sheets are difficult to stick to surfaces and do not dry fast, making them quite slippery when paint gets on them.
As for bed sheets, they can absorb the paint, which may then seep down on the floor, making it messy. Plus, you will then need to go through the trouble of scraping it off, which may damage your floor in the process. Lastly, grab a screwdriver and take out your electrical switch plates. I know it is a bit of a hassle, but it saves you the trouble of taping them and removing any excess paint that fell on them accidentally.
4. Boxing Your Paint For Consistency
So, you are done with cleaning and protecting, and now it is time to paint. First and foremost, instead of mixing up paints at different stages, it is important to mix all of your paint in a single bucket, say 5 gallons. For this, you can consult with the person from whom you bought the paint, as they are experienced in gauging how much paint will be required to cover a particular area.
So why mix all of your paint at once? Simply put, not every can of paint is of the same color. Suppose you are halfway done painting your wall and ran out of paint. You open a new can just to find out that the paint slightly differs in color. Imagine the frustration you will be going through. So, to save yourself from the trouble of having messed up multicolored walls, it is essential that you mix all of your paint at once for consistency. This process is called boxing.
5. Washing Your Brush And Roller Covers Before Painting
It is always important to wash your roller covers and brushes before you paint. It will remove any dirt particles from them and, most importantly, frizzy fibers or bristles that might mess up your paint job. Therefore, always make sure to wash your newly bought brushes and roller covers.
6. Using A Primer
Primers are critical when it comes to dealing with those unwanted patches. Before painting, you will need to fill in the cracks and holes with a compound. If you paint directly over them, the compound will eventually suck in the moisture from the paint resulting in patches. Henceforth, you should first cover your walls with a primer. Another thing that you can do is use a tinted primer instead of using a white one. It is highly effective when covering the patched areas and previous paint, as well as ensuring a vibrant paint with fewer coats.
7. Stay Organized In Your Paint Order
So, you are now done with all the necessary prerequisites, and now it’s time for you to let loose your creativity. However, before you begin, please consider the following steps.
- First, start with painting your trims.
- Next, paint your ceilings.
- After you finish the ceilings, you should start painting your walls, and the order should be from top to bottom.
- Make sure to paint one wall at a time for a seamless finish.
- Always keep your paint bucket covered with a damp cloth to avoid your tools and paint from drying easily.
8. Scrape Your Textured Ceilings To Create A Ridge
Getting paint in those tight ceiling corners can be tricky. However, you can easily deal with this issue by scraping ridges in your textured ceiling with the help of a screwdriver or a pointed tool. It will allow the bristles of your paintbrush to slide easily into those tight spots and give a seamless finish.
9. Scraping Your Windows And Floor
It is common for your windows and floor to get a bit messy when painting. So, after you finish painting, you can use a sharp tool to scrape off that unwanted paint. However, please be careful in order to avoid any unnecessary damage.
10. Lighting Up Your Room
Lastly, after you have finished painting, it is always a better idea to light up your room with a bright light to check whether you have missed any spots. Painting can be tricky, and it is easy to miss some areas, especially around the corners. Using a light will highlight those areas and can fix them easily.
Conclusion
Painting is fun, relaxing, and a good source of letting your creativity loose. However, to ensure you get that seamless and high-end finish, it is important to follow the above-mentioned steps. It might be a bit challenging at first, but once you familiarize yourself with the process, you will be painting like a pro.
