Top left: A room before new paint. Top Right: The room during the painting. Above Bottom: The room after painting completed. All Photos Courtesy: Chris & Family
As far as DIY projects are concerned, painting the home interior is definitely the most popular choice with homeowners. It’s probably because unlike many other projects, you do not need to have a specialized set of skills to carry out the task. Indeed, it often ends up being a family affair in many homes; an activity in which the entire family can take part and help save money. Painting a room is not the most challenging of tasks if done correctly. However, ignore the basic rules and you could get it horribly wrong. Here are 3 top tips from home improvement experts that will help ensure that your painting project goes off without a hitch.
Never fail to prep a room properly
Quite often, the biggest mistake people make when undertaking a DIY painting project is to not prep the room properly. As any painting contractor can tell you, if you do not prep the walls properly before applying the paint, the end result will be far from pleasing. Even if there are no visual cues immediately noticeable, there will be problems in the future; problems such as peeling and cracking paint. Prepping the room is the only opportunity you will get to fix any flaws in the walls, including cracks. Scraping does require some time and effort, but do not dare forgo it if the walls do require it.
Use masking tape judiciously
You will come across many sites that will advice you against using masking tape. Their argument is that if you use your paintbrush correctly, you do not need to spend all that extra money on masking tape. What they do not tell you is that if you are not a house painter by profession, you will have a tough time with the straight lines. Unless your name is Pablo Picasso or Vincent van Gogh, it is highly recommended that you stick to using masking tape, especially since they are not that expensive.
Right: Use masking tape judiciously – Photo Courtesy: Joanna Poe
Master the paintbrush and rollers
Very often, homeowners do the correct amount of prep work and do not mind paying more for good quality paint. However, they are still left disappointed by the end results. In such cases, the problem often lies not with the paint or the surface, but the manner in which the paint was applied. Take some time to master the various paintbrushes and rollers that you will be using. There are numerous videos available online that teach novices how to hold a paintbrush properly and various painting techniques that allow the painter to cover large areas within a few strokes. With proper technique, not only will the layers of paint look good, the room will be painted much more quickly and the fatigue factor is reduced as well.
Painting may not seem like the most fun home improvement activity, but it certainly is one that can be easily accomplished. The tips mentioned here may not seem like much, but the results of ignoring them can be quite disastrous. Follow these 3 simple tips from home improvement experts and be prepared to marvel at the wonderful painting job you can accomplish.
Jeff Fernandes is the writer of this guest post. He helps provide effective home improvement tips and suggests Boiler Servicing to give a longer life to your gas or oil boiler.
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