Painting Tips for Your Home

 

 

Painting your home, increases its value, helps protect from potential lead paint poisoning, and makes you feel good at the same time. By painting your old countertop, you give the room a new look without dishing out the money for a new counter, and it is one of the fastest, least expensive ways to change the look of an entire room. An option for sprucing up your doorknobs on a limited budget is to paint them.

Know what's already on your walls and ceiling, acrylic latex paint is the modern paint of choice because it applies easier than oil-based paint, but don't assume your home is painted entirely with latex.  Latex paint can go over oil-based paints with a primer or a sealer, but oil cannot go over latex.  If you try to paint latex over oil without first priming and sealing, your paint will bubble, ooze and never cure.  You can come back with a dry rag several days later and wipe the paint off as if it were water. For oil-based paint applied over latex, strip the original base coat down to the plaster or wall boards.  To determine if the paint on your walls is oil-based or latex, mix an all-purpose household detergent and water.  If the existing paint comes off, your walls are painted with latex, if the paint does not come off, your existing paint is oil-based. 

Once you have specific colors in mind, purchase a small amount of each color and paint a floor to ceiling section of each color's intended wall.  Calculate how much paint you'll need to do your entire job, it's safer to get your colored paint mixed all at once to avoid potential color variations.  Generally, one gallon of paint will cover 400 square feet.

Clean the walls and ceilings you will paint and remove all debris, so the paint adheres properly.  If the color is dark, grease is present or stains are set into the paint, clean the area with a small amount of bleach in water and or consider priming the walls.  Use painters tape or masking tape to cover and mark off any baseboards, molding or any adjoining areas that are to be painted a different shade or paint, and use a brush to paint a 2-inch strip around the area to be painted.  Paint the wall corners with the brush where paint rollers won't reach, and fill in the body of the ceiling and walls using a paint roller. Paint in one direction, and then come back painting the pattern with the opposite slant. Do this until the wall is completely painted.  Then, apply a second coat of paint once the first coat is dry.  If you’re using a dark color, paint a third coat to ensure even coverage.  Finish your paint job by painting the moldings, using a quality paint brush to carefully paint the trim work. 

Sponge painting is a cool and easy way to change the look of your walls.  People are becoming much more daring when it comes to painting, even with old developments. A fresh coat of paint goes a long way in first impressions, and when selling a house or buying a home, first impressions are the most important. If you don’t feel daring, then go for a more traditional white or beige, bets are, you’ll feel a lot better with your home.

 

 

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