Refreshing your home with a fresh coat of paint will go a long way to updating your space but before you start painting there are some crucial prep steps that need to be taken.
Prep Work
Surface dirt can cause poor adhesion. Wash surfaces with light detergent and rinse well to avoid leaving residue. Pen, crayon and water stains should be removed as much as possible with liquid detergent and then wiped with clean water. Tougher marks can be spot primed with Benjamin Moore Fresh Start, QD-30, interior and exterior sealer. This will help to prevent the stains from bleeding through.
Sand glossy surfaces with fine sandpaper, vacuum dust and wipe with a tack cloth.
Examine floor, wall, and ceiling surfaces for nail holes, cracks and other surface imperfections. Use a putty knife to rake out any loose particles.
Firmly press spackling compound into crevices with a putty knife and smooth until the compound is flush with the surface. Because patching compound shrinks when it dries, it is often necessary to apply the compound a second time after the first coat has dried. Light sanding is required.
Painting, Step by Step
Start with the ceiling first and then paint the walls.
Beginning at the corner of the room, use a 50 or 60 mm trim brush to “cut in”, applying a 8 cm strip of coating along the perimeter where the wall and the ceiling meet.
Cut in a section at a time, alternating between cutting in and painting the ceiling to maintain a wet edge and prevent a visible line. Use a roller to quickly and easily paint a room line between the cut-in area and the rest of the ceiling.
Before you begin painting the ceiling, remove excess paint on the roller by slowly rolling it back and forth over the ridges of the paint tray.
Start painting near the corner of the room, blending the coating into the ceiling line painted previously. Paint across the width of ceiling, rather than the length, and make sure to roll in a motion across your body, rather than along your body, to avoid straining your neck and back.
Once your ceiling is dry, return to the spot where you began painting. Use a trim brush to carefully cut in along the wall-ceiling line. Extend out two to three inches from windows, doors, and mouldings. Once you’ve cut in around an entire wall area, use a roller to fill in the field.
For efficiency, start in the corner of a wall and roll on a three by three foot W pattern, then fill it in without lifting the roller. Continue in sections until you’re finished.
Once the walls are completely dry, place painter’s tape where the trim meets the wall. Paint the mouldings, baseboard and the door and window frames with a two-inch angled brush. When painting your trim, paint the tops of the doors and windows first and work your way down so that you can remove any runs as you go.
Paint your baseboards last.
For additional info, paint and supplies, visit The Decorators Choice, 1495A Innes Road,
(613)736-8212.
