Interior painting tips
Proper preparation is crucial to a successful and lasting paint job
Here are a tips on interior painting covering the basics and some small tricks to help make the process easier.
Interior painting tip #1 - Remove the furniture
Begin by removing all of the furniture from the room, if some items are too large or awkward to be removed from the room move them into the middle of room and cover them with a sheet of plastic. Plastic is a good material to use as paint will not soak through it, though be careful, plastic is a slipping hazard so be cautious of any overhang.
Interior painting tip #2 - Stuff on the walls
After your furniture has been taken care of it's time to remove paintings and pictures from the walls. Move on to hardware afterwards, you will want to remove anything that is practical from the area you intend to paint (such as faceplates, vent covers, doorknobs, anything with screws that you can replace).
Interior painting tip #2 - Keeping track of ....
Start from the right-hand side of a doorway and work your way around the room removing the hardware; use masking-tape to tape the screws to the item and write on the tape numbering each as you remove them (first item removed is 1, next is 2, etc). Replacing everything will be easy since you know where you started and have them numbered.
Interior painting tip #3 - Assess the damage
Take a look around the area to be painted and note any cracks, holes, or dirty areas. These areas will need to be dealt with before the painting begins. A common misconception is that a fresh paint job will clean up any mess; dirty areas should be extensively cleaned. Certain stains will show through even after they've been painted so these areas will need to be primed with a stain blocker.
Interior painting tip #4 - Damage? Holes?
Small cracks and holes will need to be caulked, larger holes spackled. Wait until the spackle has dried properly then using some 150-200 grit sand paper sand the spackle flush with the wall. Continue on and scuff the whole area to be painted with your sand paper, your goal is to remove any tiny bumps and imperfections left from the previous paint job and also to give the wall a good surface for the paint to adhere to.
Interior painting tip #5 - Masking with masking tape
With quality masking-tape tape off areas you don't feel confident cutting-in or are simply in the way; some examples are light fixtures, phone jacks, oddly shaped edges, and thermostats. While painting if you put to much paint onto the tape there is a risk of the paint seeping underneath the edge so to strengthen the tape's bond run the blade of a 5-in-1 tool (or putty knife) along the edge of the tape you'd like to be the most resistant to paint. Apply the masking tape with care and do not stretch it, it will stick unevenly to the surface.
Interior painting tip #6 - Protect those surfaces
Protect any area below where you are painting with drop-cloths (floors, counter-tops, steps, etc); use a heavy-duty garbage bag or sheet of plastic to setup a centralized 'paint station' where you will be pouring the paint, this area tends to get drips of paint and the plastic will insure it does not bleed through the drop cloth. Put all of your painting supplies in or near this area as well, this will help you to stay organized and prevent mishaps or accidents. Again, be careful with the plastic as this stuff can be slippery, especially if there is some paint on it.
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