What to Do Before You Paint a Room

What is something that you can do to your home that’s relatively inexpensive but can yield incredible results? Paint a room! But, before you dive in, know that it does require some patience — and of course — attention to detail. Follow these top tips to achieve the quality results you’re looking for in your next project.

Steps to Painting a Room

Before You Start

You must prep your walls to paint a room to not only achieve desirable results but to also avoid problems down the road. Before you put a brush to a wall, be sure to cover all furniture and fixtures. If you have it, remove any wallpaper and flaking paint from the walls with a putty knife. After that, patching with spackle, sanding, and prime the walls. If these are new walls, always use a primer first. Switching colors? Also primer. However, if you are painting over oil-based paint, you will first need to sand the wall, then apply bonding primer. 

Prepare the Surface

Sand out imperfections in the walls before beginning. This will also help hold the paint better. Sweep from side to side with a pole sander that is fitted with 120-grit sandpaper, and work from the ceiling down. Be sure to vacuum dust and wipe down the walls after you’re finished.

Plan, then Paint

Paint fumes can be overpowering, so adequate ventilation is a must while you are working. Roll paint on the walls from the top down, starting with the ceiling. Paint just one wall at a time, and apply a second coat once it dries.

Paint the Trim Last

Once the walls are completely dry, apply painter’s tape along the top and bottom wall-trim edge. To do so, press down firmly with a flexible putty knife to seal the edges. Then, you can use a brush to paint the trim. When you are finished, carefully remove the tape after painting to prevent peeling.

Time to Clean Up

After your painting project is complete, you can wash latex-based paints off of brushes and roller covers using running water. Be sure to reshape brushes and hang them to dry. Roller covers should dry in an upright position and stay covered to keep them clean until the next use.

Ready to Paint?

If you don’t have time to paint, let the experts at Handyman Connection of Carmel take care of the details. Call us today for a free estimate!