Painting the interior of your home can be hard and challenging, but once completed it can bring your living space back to life. What color should you choose, and what steps do you have to take? There are many moving parts, and you want to ensure you do it correctly the first time so you don’t have to re-paint.
Proper wall preparation is critical to achieving perfect results. In this article, we discuss some of the best steps to take to prepare your walls before painting your home.
Clean Your Walls
To clean the walls that you’ve chosen to paint, you can use a vacuum cleaner or a towel. A cool trick if you decide to paint your kitchen, you can take laundry detergent and water to help remove residues from cooking. After washing your walls, give them a quick rinse and then dry them. If there is the wallpaper on the walls, you’ll need to remove it and then clean the walls properly. If mold is present, apply an anti-mold solution to the affected area; also, get a special sealer to cover heavy mold growth.
Remove Old Paint
You will want to make sure you remove all cracked or flaking paint before you start painting. You can use a scraper and sandpaper to smooth the surface. Make sure everything is removed before you start painting or the new paint will come off.
Repair Damaged Areas
When painting the interior of your home, it means a lot more than cleaning a few walls and choosing a chic color. Getting the results you want means finding all the flaws before priming and painting your walls. Loose patches of old plaster and cracks around window and door frames are some of the most common problems you may observe when inspecting your walls.
Find Invisible Flaws
While some flaws are visible, others are not. You can use a utility light to find those flaws that are less obvious. Hold the light close to the wall surface, moving the light up and down. Mark those flaws with a black sharpie so you can come back to them to repair them. Use sandpaper to smooth away the imperfections.
Use Lining Paper
You will want to use lining paper for only specific situations, such as when walls have a lot of cracks or large repair areas. Covering those areas with lining paper can help you get a smooth, flawless base for paint.
Prime your walls
Priming your walls is only necessary if you intend to paint over semi-gloss, gloss, or oil-based color. However, it is also a good idea to use a primer if you are painting a light color over a dark base. In general, high-quality interior paint is sufficient for a high-quality end look. If you aren’t sure whether your walls require a primer, ask one of our painting experts!
Use a special stain-blocking primer
Regular primers can hide small imperfections, most products can’t cover certain marks, such as those left behind by water and permanent makers. These marks will bleed through your paint, even if you apply several coats. First, try to remove the stains; if they won’t go away, use a stain-blocking primer.
Final Thoughts
While painting the interior of your home may seem daunting, the end result can transform your space! With the right products and process, your home can look like it’s painted by a professional. For help choosing the right interior paint colors and products or for tips for your specific paint project, visit your local Jones Paint & Glass and talk to one of our paint experts today!
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