R House Painting Services - Painting Tips
Everything You Need To Know
A room looks wonderful with a fresh coat of paint. But if you have a Love-Hate relationship with painting, you'll want to read our tips
on getting a great finished product. You might even enjoy the project as much as the finished product!
Start Out Right
You'll enjoy the job more if you get everything together at the start. Organize a tool station in the middle of the area you'll be working in. Gather together your paint, brushes, rollers, hammers, screwdrivers, plastic bags, plastic wrap, rags, paint can opener, and drop cloths.
Plan a Day for Prep
Don't try to get everything done in one day. Use the day before painting day to gather furniture in the centre of the room, patch cracks and holes, put blue painter's tape around doors and windows, and cover wall and ceiling light fixtures (light bulbs removed, of course!) with large plastic bags.
Clear the Decks
If you can, clear out all the furniture and accessories. Take everything off the walls. If you can't move everything out, place the furniture and lamps in the middle of the room and cover them with a good drop cloth. Be sure that you tape the cloth around the furniture. Then put a second cover of plastic or old sheet over everything.
Remove All Hardware
It may seem easier to paint around door knobs or cabinet hinges, but unless you're a professional, very experienced painter, you're bound to get drips around. So carry around some zip top bags and remove all cabinet knobs and hinges, door knobs, light switch plates and outlet covers, and light fixtures. Place the pieces together in separate bags and clearly mark the contents and location (top left cabinet, bathroom door, etc) you took them from. This is a great time to clean the hardware! Put them back when you're done painting.
Get Yourself Ready
No matter how hard you try, you're bound to get drips (or more) of paint on whatever you're wearing. So take off all jewellery. Reserve some old, but comfortable, clothes for your painting jobs. Slip-on shoes are easy to take off if you need to leave the room. You won't have to worry about tracking drops of paint into other rooms. When you paint the ceiling, put a scarf, shower cap, or old baseball hat over your hair and some plastic over your eyeglasses.
Don't Paint Over Problem Walls
If your walls have holes or cracks, fix them before you start with the paint. Any home centre or paint store has knowledgeable personnel to guide you to the best products for the job. Wide cracks and large holes can be filled with fibreglass tape, spackle will fill small holes and cracks, and texture products are available to match your existing wall finish.
Painting Advice
When doing your own house painting, don't go for the cheapest paint. Painting is a lot of work. Its a big investment in your time, so get
a quality paint that will last.
Higher quality paints have more pigment and less water. House painting services know that they will cover more area per gallon and will
hold up to use better.
When deciding how much paint to buy, first measure the length and height of all of your walls. Multiply the length times the height to
get the square footage of your walls. Add them together to get the total square footage that you will need to cover. At the store read
the paint can to determine how many gallons you will need. A gallon usually covers around 300 Square Feet. Buy a little extra to make
fixing the inevitable scrapes and nicks in the future easier.
If you have a wall with many irregularities or defects that can't be repaired, use flat paint. Flat paint is not very washable, but will
hide defects in your wall since it will reflect less light.
Don't put off that house painting project. The longer you wait, the more work and cost will be involved. If your paint starts to peel, it
will need to be scraped and/or sanded. Wood that becomes exposed may need to be replaced or primed. By calling R House Painting Services
now, you may be saving yourself money in the long run.