Painting can be a great way to make some home improvements without breaking the bank. As well as benefiting our homes, painting can also benefit our mental health. It provides significant stress relief, due to shifting focus and allowing a person’s mind to relax. While the act of painting a room is relatively straightforward, there are a few tricks of the trade worth knowing that will ensure you get the quality result you’re looking for – and lucky for you, we’re here to share them.
Plan Ahead
From choosing your paint colour to making sure you have all the relevant equipment you might need. Look at the space you’ll be painting and gauge what will make the job easier. Do you need brushes or rollers? Will it be handy to have a step ladder for those hard-to-reach places? These are just a few things for you to consider before you make a start on the task at hand.
Prepare the Room
Prepping the room you’re painting properly can have a big impact on the overall finished result. Make sure you clear out any furniture that’s in the way and use old blankets, towels or covers to shield anything that can’t be moved – don’t forget to cover the floor too! Be sure to wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting paint on. Once everything is covered, you’ll need to take a cloth and dust down any areas where there’s dust or cobwebs including skirting boards and corners of ceilings. If there’s old paint stuck to the walls, use a paint remover to make the job easier. TOP TIP: use masking tape around floor edges, electrical sockets, light switches and skirting boards to avoid unwanted splatters. You can also use tape to create
neat lines for sections where you don’t want any paint.
Time to Prime
You’re almost ready to start painting but, first, it’s time to prime! Consider what kind of surface you’re painting. If the surface is porous the paint will quickly be absorbed when you apply it. Applying primer creates a seal that prevents this from happening. If the surface is glossy (such as highly varnished wood, or if a high gloss paint has been used on this surface previously) then the paint could struggle to stick. Whilst primer will help significantly, lightly sanding the surface will provide extra texture for the paint to adhere to.
Mixing
The trick to perfectly painted walls is to mix paint extender into the paint itself. Not only does this slow down the drying time of the paint, but it also acts as a conditioner smoothing out its texture for an even, streak-free finish.
