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One of the biggest problems home owners face when tackling a do-it-yourself paint
Getting ready to paint your room requires that you move all of your furniture away from the walls and toward the centre of the room. The more you can actually get out of the room the better: it's much easier to paint with fewer obstacles, plus you won't run the risk of ruining any irreplaceable pieces.
These products can help you out with the prep work:
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Cover carpets, hard wood floors and any remaining furniture with drop cloths to guard from paint splash. |
You may have to repair a few holes left behing from picture frames and shelving. A light weight spackle can easily fix those along with any minor cracks. |
Siliconized acrylic caulk Make sure the caulking around the windows where the trim meets the wall is in tip-top shape so that paint cannot leak into these areas and cause damage. |
If you have a few minor stains on the wall, try removing them with a mild soap and water. If they can't be removed, prime them with a stain blocking primer before painting so that they don't show through the new coat. |
If you're painting a room that's in really bad shape, you may need to do some drywall repair before you can even think about painting. |
Deciding which paint you should buy depends on whether you're painting an interior room or the exterior of your home, and nearly all paints are specifically marked indicating the uses for which they are intended. While browsing, also consider that you don't want to be skimpy--going cheap on the paint ultimately means a cheap looking finish that may take you tons of coats and be easily worn away. While opting for a name brand usually means you'll get a better product, every manufacturer does make an inexpensive paint. So do your research before buying; the quality of paint is determined by the grade, the type of pigments and how much water is in the can.
There are a lot of varieties to choose from once you get passed the interior/exterior choice. Enamels are less likely to be damaged by cleaning than are most flat latex paints and they come in a bunch of different finishes:
In high traffic areas and where the paint is likely to be washed often such as kitchens and bathrooms, enamel is your best option. Flat wall finishes are more desirable in other parts of the house because they have a cleaner finish and stay very true to their intended colour in all lighting. 100% acrylic formulations of both enamel and flat finish paints are super-durable and can be easily touched up.
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Blue painter's tape Mark off trims, make patterns and protect outlets (that have had their covers removed) with tape. |
Making your painting surface smooth ensures a neat looking finish free of unsightly bubbles. |
Paint Trays |
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