Without question, interior painting is the most popular DIY home improvement activity. A fresh coat of paint is the best, most affordable way to freshen up a room. While professional-looking painting takes a lot of patience and even more practice, a little advice goes a long way. Here are five lessons for a first-time painter from an expert Portland painting contractor.
5 Tips From a Portland Painting Contractor
Prep the Surface
The first step in a successful paint job is preparing the surface you are about to paint. Scrape and sand surface imperfections and fill in every crack, dent and hole. No matter how thick your paint is, it will not hide a cracked or pockmarked surface.
Tint the Primer
The second step in a successful paint job is priming the walls or ceiling you are about to paint. This step cannot be skipped if you are painting over a dark color or painting new drywall. However, it is strongly recommended that you prime first any time you paint.
There are three primary reasons why you should prime every surface you will paint. First, it prevents stains of the previous color from bleeding through. Second, it lends itself to one-coat coverage for the paint. Finally, and most importantly, it allows the paint to stick to the walls better. This drastically reduces blisters and peeling.
Tinting the primer toward the finished color is simple. All you have to do is mix a little bit of topcoat paint into the primer. This simple professional trick significantly enhances the topcoat’s ability to hide the primed surface completely. While you can purchase paints which include primers, nothing does the job better than a dedicated primer.
Canvas Is Better Than Plastic
You may think you can save money by opting for plastic drop cloths. However, it is worth every penny to invest in canvas drop cloths to protect your floors and furnishings from paint spatters. Since they lie flat, they mitigate the risk of tripping. Furthermore, they are extremely durable and resistant to rips and tears.
A significant difference between canvas and plastic drop cloths is canvas absorbs paint drips rather than become slippery when paint spatters them. Additionally, they can be folded around corners and doorways with ease. This is impossible with plastic drop cloths. Finally, canvas will last forever. Plastic must be thrown away after use.
Grab an Extension Pole
Professional painting contractors have years of experience on top of ladders and know when they are so exhausted they need to come down for their safety. Most homeowners do not have that experience. Rather than using a stepladder to paint otherwise unreachable surfaces, grab a telescoping extension pole.
While extension poles can be up to 18 feet long, you can probably get away with one that extends from 18 to 36 inches. This is long enough to paint any room with a ceiling of eight or nine feet. Confirm that the handle of your paint roller has a threaded hole on the end. Then, twist it onto the extension pole.
When you are looking for an extension pole, find one that has a sturdy metal core and soft, nonslip grip. The threaded end of the pole should also be metal. Handles that are completely plastic are too flexible and difficult to control.
How to Store Paint Overnight
If you did not complete your painting project on the first day, brush or roll excess paint off your paintbrushes and paint-roller sleeves. Then, wrap them tightly in clingy plastic wrap. To be safe, wrap it twice to seal out any air. Then, keep the encased brushes and roller sleeves in the fridge to keep them fresh.
This will prevent the paint from drying out overnight and rendering your tools unusable. Half an hour before painting, take your equipment out of the fridge and it will be supple and usable when you are ready to start.
Contact ProFleet NW Today
Are you ready to start an indoor painting project to breathe new life into a room? If so, reach out to the expert Portland painting contractors for help. You can call us at (503)946-1733 or shoot us an email at info@profleetnw.com.