It’s amazing how a fresh coat of properly applied paint can transform the appearance of a room or piece of furniture. However, the final results can be less than satisfying if you don’t do work ahead of time. Read here for information on choosing the right paint for the job and getting ready for your project.
Prepare the Area
It’s very discouraging to spend a lot of time and effort painting something, only to find that the surface underneath shows imperfections. Or to spend several hours doing the painting and then as much time cleaning up. Be sure you have good lighting in your painting area, remove or cover all furniture and flooring, fill, patch and sand holes and cracks in the surface, carefully clean all surfaces to be painted, remove electrical switch and plug covers.
Choose the Right Paint
There are lots of paints on the market, all promising to give you excellent results. First of all, it’s important to choose interior paint for interior surfaces and exterior paint for exterior surfaces. Interior paint dries more quickly and has less offensive odor than exterior paint, which dries more slowly.
Decide What Sheen You Want
There are five finishes of interior paint. Gloss paint holds up on areas that might require frequent cleaning, like kitchen and bath cabinets and walls. Semi-gloss paint is durable, but with less shine. Satin paint is also easy to clean, but has a low shine. For walls in bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms, eggshell is a good choice, with a barely discernable gloss. Flat paint has almost no reflective quality, making it a good choice for walls and ceilings with irregularities.
Visit the Paint Store
With your color scheme, fabrics, and excitement in tow, visit your local paint store or home center. Select paint color chips that look like they’ll coordinate with what you have in mind. But do not buy now! Speak with a salesperson about your job and get suggestions for buying the proper product and level of gloss.
Look in All Types of Light
It’s very important to look at your color swatches in all lights of the day and night. The perfect blue can look all wrong in your bedroom with the lamps turned on. Find the best shade for the time you’ll be in the room most. If you work all day and are out of the house, the color should be chosen to best suit artificial light.
How Much to Buy
All paint cans will give information on the coverage you can expect under normal circumstances. Measure the size of your room, count windows and doors. The salesperson can recommend the right amount to buy for your job or you can visit sites on the internet which offer calculators to determine the right quantity. Don’t under-buy, because you’ll want a little left over for touch-ups later.
Choose the Right Applicator
Walls and ceilings can be sprayed (difficult for the novice), brushed (very slow) or rolled. Trim paint should be brushed on. Foam rollers on flat surfaces give a very smooth finish and are easy to use. Pad painters are popular because they hold a lot of paint and apply it quickly to smooth walls. Your paint supply store can direct you to the best applicators for your particular project.
Give Yourself Enough Time
It may seem like painting a small room or chair shouldn’t take much time. Unless you’re experienced with painting projects, allot more time than you think the project will take. It would be a shame to have to stop in the middle of a job, put everything away, and clean up your equipment, only to go back to it the next day. Give yourself plenty of time, don’t be in a hurry, and enjoy the final results.