Painting is probably the most common house upgrade that people do themselves. It does not appear to be a hard job, and it can be a lot of fun. Painting your walls is a great way to make a space feel more original to you and your taste.
However, because painting looks so simple it is often done incorrectly by people who think they know what they are doing. Painting is easy, painting well is a little more difficult. Mostly, painting just requires some prep work and caution.
A few tips to get you started should be enough to have you painting your home just the way you want it. Whether you are going for a complicated pattern or just a nice coat of paint. Here are six of the mistakes you should avoid making while painting the walls of your home.
1. No Prep
Maybe you are painting in a small space and don’t feel like it is necessary to do all the prep work painting requires. Or maybe it doesn’t seem very likely you will spill paint. Either way, you need to prep a space before you paint.
Before you start painting the first thing you should do is lay drop cloths on your floors and any furniture in the room. This will prevent paint from staining anything other than your walls. Then you will want to tape all of your doorknobs to keep them from getting painted.
The final couple steps of prep work involve removing all of the light switch and outlet covers so they remain white. The last step before you can actually get to painting should be washing down your walls. If you have ever noticed hair or dust stuck in the paint, it was because the walls were not washed down before painting began. This step makes sure you have a clean surface to work on.
2. Tape
The kind of tape you use is so important to a great paint job. If you want a clean line then the only tape you should be using is painters tape. It is not guaranteed to prevent all bleeding but it will certainly turn out better than using any other kind of tape would.
Tape the borders of your room securely with painters tape. This will give you clean lines all around the room and make sure no paint gets on your molding. If you want to make sure your line is completely clean, paint over the edges of the tape with the color already on the walls so any bleeding will be stopped by the first layer of paint.
Painters tape is great for ensuring clean lines, but it can also mess up a paint job easily. It is important you peel off your tape while the paint is still drying so that the tape does not rip off and dry paint. Using painters tape correctly is the best way to make sure you get a clean paint job on your walls.
3. Cheap Materials
It can feel like a waste of money to buy good paint rollers and brushes when cheaper options are available. However, you will almost always get a better coat of paint if you spend the little extra money to get better quality materials. It is often worth it to buy better products and get a better-looking wall.
Quality products are made to absorb less of the paint which means you will be using less on every layer and stroke. This ensures you are using as much of the paint you bought as possible and will allow you to buy less paint. Higher quality brushes and rollers can also be used again more times than cheap products which should save you money in the long run.
It is important that once you are done painting you remember to clean up your tools immediately. Getting all the paint out of your rollers and brushes as soon as possible will help keep the tools in good quality. It will also allow them to last longer for future paint jobs.
4. Painting Wildly
Painting is fun and often the motion of painting leads you to swing your brush around a bit. This is okay on canvas or a wall that you want to look wild, but for the best finish, you should paint carefully. The best way to paint is from the top to the bottom.
To avoid paint spots on the ceiling from hitting the ceiling with your paint roller, paint a thick horizontal stripe across the top of your walls before you begin painting the entire wall. This will keep you from rolling your paint all the way to the ceiling and should prevent any bumps. It will also give you a solid base to begin painting.
The reason painting from top to bottom give you the smoothest finish is that it allows you to catch any drips as you go down the wall. This means you end up with a smooth, professional paint job.
5. Too Much Paint
Many people think that they need to completely cover their paintbrush and soak their roller to get as much paint as possible onto the walls. The truth is that it will waste paint and cause more dripping. With brushes, less paint is always more.
Do not dip your brush more than two thirds into your paint. This will help use less paint and keep your brush and hands from becoming a complete mess. Only a light coat is needed on your roller and it will go a long way.
Make sure you are not dipping directly out of a paint can so that you are only using a limited amount of paint at a time. This will help you cut down on paint waste and give you more control of how much paint you put on your brushes. The better you treat your brushes, the better your paint job will turn out.
6. Forgetting Primer
Primer was invented to make your paint job last longer and stick onto your walls better. If you are painting over a dark color or painting a wall for the first time then you absolutely need to prime. It is also going to be necessary if you are using a very bright color or any spackled walls.
A coat of two of primer will ensure that none of your old paint colors bleeds through. This can be a huge issue if you are painting over a color like red or dark green. A primer will also prepare a surface that has never been painted before to hold a coat of paint.
The goal of the primer is to increase the life of your paint and make it more durable. Skipping the step of priming, especially if you are painting a more difficult wall, is likely to mean you are going to have to paint again. Make sure you prime your walls before you paint.
Conclusion
Painting is a fun way to completely change a room. It is important you know common painting mistakes so that you can avoid making them yourself. Those are the most common mistakes you should avoid when painting the walls of your home.