Painting your own house can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve never done it before. But don’t worry! Everyone starts as a beginner, and with a little bit of guidance, you can do it too. Not only can painting your own house be a fun activity for the whole family, but it can also save you money. Thus, allowing you to use the extra money for other home improvements, which our lofts guy at Encompass Lofts is a big believer of this.
Before embarking on any home painting activity, it’s important to ensure that you are adequately prepared to achieve the best results possible. Proper preparation is critical to ensure that your paint job lasts longer and looks great. Here are a few things to consider before you start painting:
Preparing the Surface
Before you start painting, you need to prepare the surface of your house. This means washing down the walls with a pressure washer and scraping off any loose or chipped paint. You don’t have to scrape the entire wall, just the areas where the surface is not flat. This will ensure that your paint goes on smoothly and looks good.
Materials
Once you’ve prepared the surface, you need to figure out how much paint you will need. You can do this by calculating your square footage. You should buy your paint in 5-gallon pails instead of gallons to save money. When you go to the paint store, ask an employee for help in choosing the right rollers, brushes, and other items you will need.
You should also buy painter’s tape, which is a blue tape that is easy to remove without damaging your paint job. Use this tape to cover any areas you don’t want to get paint on. If you need to cover large areas, use rolls of plastic that you can tape down over the surface.
Ready, Set Paint
Now that you are all set up, here are some tips for better painting jobs.
Tip 1
Before you start painting, dip your roller in water or solvent (depending on the type of paint) to make sure it’s not dripping. You can use a pan or a bucket with a screen. You don’t need to paint all the way from the top to the bottom, paint what you can reach.
Tip 2
When you’re ready to paint, don’t paint directly out of the paint cans. This can cause the paint to dry out and pick up dirt and foreign objects. This changes the colour of your paint as you go along. Instead, pour your paint into a pan or 5-gallon bucket with a screen. Before you start, dip your roller in solvent (for oil-based paint) or water (for latex). Always make sure it isn’t dripping.
Tip 3
When you’re painting a room, it’s a good idea to start at the edges of the walls and work your way toward the middle. Many people don’t do this, and it can cause problems like differences in colour between cans of paint. So, each time you open a new can of paint, start at the edges first.
Tip 4
To paint in a good pattern, you can try using a Y or N shape. Then, paint up and down in columns, smoothing out any edges or ridges as you go. Don’t try to use too little paint; make sure you have enough on your roller to give a good coat. If you want to apply more than one coat of paint, wait until the first coat is completely dry before starting on the second coat.
Tip 5
Corners can be hard to paint, so be careful not to let paint drip. Try to get as close to the corners as you can, but don’t scrape the roller against them. If you’re not sure, keep a paintbrush handy to smooth out any drips or ridges. It’s easier to fix these things as you go than to try to fix them after the paint has dried.
Tip 6
Using tray liners in your paint trays can save you a lot of time when you’re cleaning up. When you’re done painting, soak your brushes in water or solvent (depending on the type of paint) to make them easier to clean.
Remember, you can do this job yourself! Have confidence in your abilities. Know that you’ll appreciate and enjoy the result more if you and your family complete the job together rather than hiring someone else to do it.…
