How to Prepare Your Home for a Paint Job

Interior painting can freshen up a room fast. The best part about it is that it’s a job that you can do all by yourself. Before you embark on a painting project, however, you’ll also need to be mindful of the risks involved. Anyone can spot a crude paint job. Here are the essential tips to help you prepare for your next paint job.

Remove Furniture

Remove furniture from the room so you don’t stumble over and have to stretch to paint behind it. Don’t ruin wood and upholsteries with spilled or spattered paint. Rent a temporary storage container while you work. Keep items too big or heavy to move out in the center of the room and away from the walls. Protect them with plastic covering.

Protect Flooring

Protect your carpet or hardwood floor before you get to work. Spread professional-style drop cloths throughout the room. Newsprints under your roller tray are not enough. Butyl-backed cloths also keep spilled paint from soaking through to the flooring below.

Remove Wall Hangings

It’s always better to take everything off the wall and paint the entire surface. Protect your things with bubble wrap and storage bins to make sure delicate pieces don’t break, and be sure to store them well out of the way. Remove nails and picture hangers and fill in the holes with spackle before you paint.

Clean the Walls Before Painting

Clean, uniform surfaces will result in a smooth, professional-looking job. Clean all the walls you will paint with water and mild detergent. For kitchen grease or soot stains, use trisodium phosphate mixed with bleach. This can also remove mildew and mildew stains. Rinse off any cleaning solution and let walls dry before you paint.

Tape Things Up

To avoid smearing paint along your baseboards and window sills, be sure to tape them off. While not protecting them is a common mistake, so is over-taping. This will cause your old wall color to peek around the perimeter of your room.

Set Up a Staging Area

Set up the center of the room or outside to pour paint, store open paint cans, and clean brushes and rollers. This will cut down on spills and accidents, or at least restrict them to one designated area. Consequently, you and your helpers will always know where the supplies are and won’t waste time looking for them.

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