We all know that the most time intensive part of painting, is always the prep. A lot of times it can be so tempting to skip this step! However, it is so important that the paint prep is done properly if you want a perfect looking, newly painted room!
Below, we are going to outline all of the materials needed and the steps of a perfect paint prep. The first step, is to move all the furniture and things off of the floor. At least get everything in the center of the room and far away from the walls.
First, it is important to wash all the walls and trim. We like to use warm water, a mild soap and a microfiber cloth or a magic eraser. This makes sure that there won’t be dust, cobwebs or grime that will prevent your new coat of paint from adhering properly. Also, it’s a great way to make sure your room will smell fresh after you paint.
After the walls are cleaned, it’s important to remove all of the hardware. Remove all window attachments, electrical socket covers and any wall hangings. You don’t want paint getting on anything but the walls, so don’t skip this step and try to paint around these things. That is always a recipe for disaster.
If you have any wall imperfections, it is a good idea to tackle those next. If there are areas where the paint is flaking, remove it with a paint scraper. When dealing with plaster bumps, it’s easy to just sand them down with a sanding block. Then, if you have dents, holes or divets, use plaster and smooth it out to make sure your walls look as even as possible. Once the plaster is dry, use the sanding block over it to double-check that the walls are smooth.
Next, it’s time to protect the floor and trim. Using painters tape and tarps, cover the floor. Then carefully apply tape to cover the trim and windows. This is an important step if you want clean, professional looking paint lines.
Once everything is trimmed, taped and cleaned, you need to prime. So many people skip this step, but a good primer is essential to a good paint job. A good primer prevents small imperfections from being seen. You can also use a primer to help prevent water damage in bathrooms and kitchens.
Once the walls are primed completely, and ready to go, you can begin painting with your new wall color. Be sure to have paint can openers, stir sticks, roller covers, paintbrushes, paint trays, gloves, glasses, drop cloths and extension poles! You can stop by Sutherlands and get EVERYTHING you need for you weekend project.
