Quick Tips to Prepare an Area Before Painting
As any homeowner knows, painting is tedious work. It requires sanding the walls to smooth out any bumps in the paint; it involves painstakingly removing all of your pictures and other knick-knacks from the room for safekeeping; and cleaning up afterward can be just as messy.
Before you bear down on that paint roller though, there is some prep work that needs to be done first, especially on a painted surface. Here are the best ways to prepare a room before painting.
1) Remove everything from the room
You want as much space as possible for you to move around and paint with minimal hassle. Loading your arms up with picture frames, plants, lampshades, or other items is counter-productive, so it’s best to move them somewhere else until the painting is finished.
2) Remove outlets
This is one of the most important steps to take before painting. You don’t want to ruin your paint job by not removing outlets first! You will be able to see where all of the outlets are after you remove everything from the room and it should only take a minute to unscrew the plate and pull it out of the wall.
3) Sand down holes
If anything was hanging on your walls, there are most likely holes, so fill up any holes with spackle or putty. It is typically best to sand down these areas before applying spackle for a more even surface, but if you only have a couple of holes it might be best to not go through the trouble.
4) Cover up surfaces
After you’ve removed everything from the room, mask off any areas on or around furniture that would need special attention before painting, such as dents and stains. This is especially important for fabric furniture because some paint removers can dissolve the fabric.
5) Wash down surfaces
Do not forget this step! Painting over dirt and grease will result in a wall that is still dirty. If you have drywall, it’s probably best to use a damp rag to wipe down the walls, but if you have wood paneling or other moldings it won’t hurt to give them a quick sweep with your vacuum cleaner.
6) Apply tape over borders
This is one of the most important steps to take before painting. You don’t want to ruin your paint job by having paint leak onto baseboards or window sills. Mask off the borders using painter’s tape before starting.
7) Tape down plastic sheeting
Plastic sheeting is a must-have for any painting project. Lay down pieces of plastic on top of furniture and moldings so that they don’t get painted over during the process, making your life much easier when it comes time to clean up.
8) Prime the walls
If you are painting over a dark color, then it is important that the first coat of paint is primer otherwise the darker shade of paint will bleed through and cause an uneven texture on your wall. It’s best to use high quality primer for this process, but it’s fine to use a cheap primer if you aren’t picky about the job.
9) Apply high quality paint
This step should go without saying, but always apply the highest quality paint you can afford. Picking up a cheap can of paint will just cause problems for you later on. Go to the store prepared with measurements of your room so that you don’t have to buy more than what you need, and do everything you can to make the painting process smoother.
If all of these steps are followed, you should be able to prepare a room for painting with minimal hassle. A day before you plan on starting your actual paint job, make sure that you go through each step again and check over your measurements so that everything is perfect when it comes time to paint.
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