Painting your home can be a very satisfying do-it-yourself
project, although painting the interior of your home can have several steps and
be quite involved. Follow these four simple steps before you start to paint in
order to give you a clean, professional look without having to spend money to
achieve professional results.
A meticulous and coordinated approach will ensure nothing is
overlooked and that you are satisfied with your own results. Below are some
tips that will help you achieve professional results without the professional
costs.
1. Move and Protect Your Furniture
When starting any do-it-yourself project, take the proper
steps to protect your home and your belongings by draping or covering your
furniture with a tarp or paint drop cloth. Additionally, you can move your
items to an area of the house where they are out of the way.
In most cases, moving your furniture to the center of the
room and throwing a tarp over your belongings is sufficient enough to make sure
no paint can damage your furniture. Paint can be difficult, if not impossible,
and costly to remove from furniture, so always protect your furniture.
2. Clean and Wipe the Walls
When you paint your walls, you want to allow for the best
possible conditions to give your interior paint job a clean and professional
look. While you may not give a second thought in regards to clearing out
debris, this can prove to be detrimental to the finished outcome.
Take the time to remove things such as spider webs or dust
that has accumulated over the years. A vacuuming of the baseboards and edges
should do the trick. For walls with grease stains or crayon marks, a simple
detergent can help remove most stains. The solution can consist of three
tablespoons of laundry detergent and a gallon of water; trisodium phosphate is
also a common cleaner.
3. Repair and Patch Holes
Before you start to paint, go through the area and identify
the parts of the wall that need some extra attention. Look for the areas that
are flaking and peeling away, and scrape away any excess paint using a putty
knife.
Next, identify any holes and patch them with spackle or wood
filler, if you are patching any trim work. Once you have patched any holes
allow the spackling to dry and sand down the area until it is smooth. Use a
protective face shield to avoid breathing in any harmful dust from sanding.
4. Tape, Mask, and Prime Walls
Take your time to properly prep in this step is to get a
clean, professional look once you are all finished with your project. This is
where you are really going to see your hard work shine through.
Identify the areas you want to be painted versus the areas
you do not. Lay the masking tape or painting tape down carefully, making sure
to protect the walls and the floors you do not want paint on. Mask any outlets
or fixtures that cannot be removed.
Once you are done taping off the room, use a high-quality
primer to help conceal any blemishes or imperfections on walls. For walls with
heavy stains, use an oil-based primer to better conceal the imperfections.
Painting the interior of your home is not something you need
to hire a professional for. Following the above steps will help you get
professional quality on your own. Here at Koontz Hardware, located in West Hollywood, California, we have all of the
tools and supplies you need to paint a room or the entire interior of your home
yourself. Swing by our store to get started today.
