Perhaps the easiest way to freshen up your home is to give the interior walls a coat of new paint. However, as anyone who’s ever done any DIY painting and decorating before will know, this can turn into a nightmare if it isn’t done properly and you could end up with splattered paint and the need to apply endless coats. If you’re thinking of repainting the walls in your home, follow these five simple tips to make sure that you get great looking walls without going crazy.
Preparation
Any good decorator will know that you can’t just start painting the wall – you’ve got to properly prepare the surface that you’re going to paint. You will need to scrape any wallpaper off, sand the walls, and fill any cracks, dents, holes and other imperfections in the surface of the wall. This is definitely the least fun part of painting a wall, but it’s the most important – if it isn’t done right, the end result could end up ruined.
Primer
If you’re painting over a dark colour or painting a wall or ceiling for the first time, mixing primer with the paint is mandatory. However, it’s smart to prime any time that you paint a surface, as priming allows for one-coat coverage and stops stains from bleeding through. Although you can get some paints that have primer included, nothing quite does the job as good as a dedicated primer.
Mark the Edges
There’s nothing worse than starting a paint job to find out that you have no masking tape. If you’re painting the walls and ceiling all one colour you may not think that you need it, however it’s easy to forget that you’ll probably also be going around the window and will need masking tape to ensure that you don’t get any paint on the windowpanes and windowsill. If you’re looking for a strong and durable masking tape that will work well when painting and decorating, check out JTape.
Use an Extension Roller
Forget messing around with step ladders or standing on a chair and invest in an extension roller to reach those higher up parts of your wall and ceiling. Telescoping extension poles come in a variety of lengths and can be attached to the end of your paint roller to make for easier painting without having to climb. When shopping for an extension pole the best ones to go for have a rigid metal core and a nonslip grip.
Leaving Overnight
If you’ve finished painting for the day but need to carry on with the job the next day, you don’t necessarily need to spend time cleaning all your paint brushes and rollers. Instead, wipe off the excess paint and wrap tightly in cling film in order to keep out the air. This will prevent the paint from drying and ruining your equipment, and you’ll be able to take it off the next day and start off where you left.
Do you have any tips that you’d like to add to this list? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
