Paint Like a Pro

Wish you knew the secrets to being a pro painter? We can’t give all of our tricks away, but we’d love to pass on a few to you. These tips are especially useful if you’re interested in painting just one room in your home. If you have a bigger job or would rather leave it to the real professionals, then feel free to give us a call. And now—on to prepping your paint space!

Tip #1 Clear the Space

Any good professional painter knows that a good quality drop cloth is essential for any interior painting job. Leaving this step out of your painting process may make your new project unnecessarily frustrating. Without a drop cloth, you’ll most likely have to scrub away paint that has dried permanently on your floors, tiles or carpet. It’s also important to clear the room of any furniture or other items. It’s easy for drywall dust or paint to land on a lifetime of family treasures.

Tip #2 Spackle Up

Before painting, inspect your walls for bumps, cracks and other imperfections. Spackle up any cracks or dents you see. If your walls are mostly uneven, consider smoothing them down with a drywall pole sander. For wood, use a two-part wood filler to fill in any gaps you may have. Be careful when applying painter’s tape to your walls. Make sure you don’t paint under the tape – it may cause bleeding. When you’re ready to reveal your new wall color, make sure to take off the tape carefully. If you wait too long, the paint could become stuck to the tape and tear off during removal, leaving you with an ugly gap on your wall.

Tip #3 Choose Paint that Lasts

Many people go for latex primers when re-painting the interior of their home, but if you want a primer that will work on almost any surface, go for an alcohol or alkyd primer. If you pick a glossy paint for your walls, be aware that glossy paint is more likely to reveal imperfections made during a paint job. Try not to skimp on the price of your paint, either. You’ll want your wall paint to last as long as possible, so you won’t have to go through the process all over again. Enjoy your new paint job and don’t forget to give us a call if you need to call in the experts!