Just to warn you, for seasoned DIYers this post may seem a bit basic, but for newbies such as myself my aim is to forewarn and shed a little light on one of the more routine DIY tasks that you might want to attempt in your life – Painting a room.
My wife and I have recently been lent a house, rent free, just for a year; The catch? Well the house wasn’t exactly live in-able… In return for a few thousand $’s of rent savings we are doing the place up. Nothing huge, but the odd bit of plumbing and a whole lot of wall paper stripping, sanding, filling etc…
Anyway, I’ll cut to the chase. I always imagined that painting a room would basically involve, erm, putting pain on walls. Here’s the actual process though:
Step 1: Preparing The Wall
So as I found out, the first step is to prepare the wall to be painted. If there is wall paper, this will need stripping; it is worth getting a steamer if you can, but failing that, a bucket of warm water, some sugar soap and a sponge will do. Soak the paper thoroughly and then scrape (not fun).
Depending on the condition of the wall underneath you may need to remove a layer of plaster. Medium glass paper and a sanding block are a must, and a dusk mask will make your day a lot better too.
Finally, you will need to fill any holes, cracks, lumps and bumps – and if it’s an old house there will be plenty. This is actually probably the funnest bit; it is well worth doing a good job though. Allow plenty of time to dry, re-do the bits you messed up the first time and finally sand it all down.
Step 2: Painting The Wall
This is the easy bit really, but here are some big time savers to help you along:
Don’t Buy Cheap Paint
Honestly, it’s mostly water and you’ll just end up using twice as much. Very high end paint is probably not necessary, but find a decent middle ground. It will go on easier, you won’t need to do 3-5 coats and it’s much less likely to drip on the carpets. (bonus tip; dripping paint on the carpet results in getting moaned at, trust me)
Use Pads
Paint pads are in my opinion a god send for people who don’t know what they are doing, such as myself. You’ll not have to go back to the tray as often, they make edging easier and unless you’re a pro, they’ll probably give you a smoother finish.
Prepare The Area
You’ll probably want to dive straight in to the painting, especially after hours of sanding and filling, but taking the time to put down sheets and mask of the skirting boards will make the job so much faster and easier – and once again reduces your chances of ruining the carpet.
General Bonus Tip: Friends, Family And Fools
These 3 groups are my secret weapon for a speedy and cheap job. It may cost you a few pots of tea and some chips, but it will save you hours and it’s kind of fun if you have a group of you.
About Me
Hello, my name is Ricky and I’m from Mesa Garage Doors, Thanks for reading my post, I hope it helps you with your next DIY project!