Tips for painting a room in your home and having it come out nice

Tips for painting a room in your home and having it look nice

When I am out estimating an interior paint job a lot of the times I see paint jobs done by a person with good intentions that just did not realize all that is needed to do the job right. With that in mind I am listing some of the things I notice most from amateur paint jobs then some tips to help you come out with a better finished job if you decide to do yourself

Most common mistakes:

Paint on ceiling Inconsistent cut in lines

Paint on trim

Paint on wall plate covers

Old wall colors showing through

Drips or runs on walls and trim left to dry

As a Professional you look at jobs differently, you cannot say, “that looks good enough”, you cannot have drips or runs or paint on the trim. Your cut ins need to look perfect everywhere. You need to have all the correct tools to do the job right from, masking to brushes, correct rollers and pans, ladders and tapes. The above you learn from doing every day, but here are a few tips that will help you have a nicer looking job if you do decide to do yourself

#1 Before starting get a clean work area, move things out of the way.

#2 Take time to mask all your trim and cover all floor and furniture

#3 Be sure you have all your tools ready before you start. Quality cut in brush, good roller, roller covers and pole if needed, a good roller pan, tape, masking material, rags, right size ladders, correct amount of paint, wall Spackle etc.

#4. Wipe off all your base and trim, and if not confident cutting in around this then use tape to go all around to give a clean line

#5. Take off your wall and switch plates, clean and put back after painting

#6 Fill and lightly sand all wall defects, texture to blend if needed

#7 Ceiling cut In. You need a good eye and a steady hand for this. One trick that helps is to hold a flat pencil tight to ceiling and against wall and lightly trace line to wall, then you can use this when cutting in to be sure your line stays straight

#8 Paint on ceiling. “Don’t”. take your time, do not hit ceiling. Clean right away with damp rag if you do

#9 Two coats all walls. Wait for the first coat to dry. Same as your cut in, good chance will need to do this twice also. Two coat brings out the true color and sheen and you can hardly ever cover old paint in one coat unless same color

#10 After you finish a wall, spend time closely looking for any roller marks, runs or drips and take care of while paint is still wet

Be sure to ask yourself before you start, do you have the time, the expertise and tools needed to do the job safely and correctly, If so by following some of the tips above this should help you come out with a nicer and cleaner looking painting project

Good Luck on all your projects and as always if CHS Painting can help in anyway, please let us know