Tips & Tricks when Painting your Home

Painting is an essential part of decoration. Whether you’ve moved into a property and want to add your flair to your new home or if you’re bored of your current walls and want a change, these tips will help you improve your painting knowledge to make your walls look perfect.

Prepping the Walls

Before you can start painting, you should make sure your walls are prepped and ready. This includes figuring out what primer you should use. First, get some sandpaper and smooth down the walls bumps & cracks. Continue by filling in any dents or holes with polyfilla until you have a flush, smooth surface to paint on.

Now your walls are evenly sanded and filled, it’s time to prime the walls so your paint colour will spread evenly. Choosing the right primer may seem like a difficult task to those who aren’t expert painters, however it is a simple process. If you’re painting walls in a new build, these walls would be classed as dry walls, so opt for a water based primer. If however you’re painting walls that have old layers of paint, you should determine the type of paint that is already on the wall before buying a primer. Take a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol and rub it on an area of the wall. If there is paint on the cotton ball, the existing paint is latex and you should use a water based primer. If however there is no residue, you’re safe to opt for an oil based primer.

Prepping the Paint

Now that your walls are all primed and ready, it’s time to paint. Before you dive in, there are a few things you should consider. Stirring your paint is essential, you must make sure that the chemicals in the paint are fully combined before painting. Using a paint stirrer with many holes in will combine the paint faster and more efficiently than using one without holes.

What tool do I use?

What you use to paint and how you apply the paint will alter the texture and finish of your wall. Paint brushes have a small surface area and because of this will hold less paint than rollers will. As a result of this, the brush will not distribute the paint as evenly nor as quickly as a roller. Using a paint roller will not only get the job done quicker, but will also allow for large areas to be evenly coated. Where as if you use a paint brush, you will most likely get patchy walls and it can also dry unevenly. We’d definitely recommend using a roller when painting your walls.

Extra Tips & Tricks

Here are a few extra tips to help make your life easier when painting.

Paint vertically. This will allow you to cross over your vertical paths and blend the paint together for a more even finish.
When using a roller and roller tray, be sure to pour out small amounts of paint at a time so you don’t waste any paint that you could save for the future.
Half full paint cans can dry out if they aren’t properly sealed. Putting a layer of cling film over the top of the paint bucket, sealing the can with the lid and then storing the paint upside down is the best way to keep your paint fresh for as long as possible.

Alternatively, you may want your painting and decorating done by professionals, we offer an entire painting service alongside other decorating services to accompany your newly painted home.

Decorating North London Builders Painting