Painting Tips for Transforming the Walls of your Home

The Home Painting Guide For a Long Lasting Paint

1. Consider the weather and Checking the moisture content of the wall :

When you set out a timeline of things and plan your home makeover, ensure to dedicate enough time for home painting if you are doing it yourself for the first time. Moreover, pick a period when it is either summer or winter in your country because the monsoon will not let the paint dry. Summer would be the best time to get your walls painted.

Moisture Meter is a specially designed device to measure moisture content in the wall.

It can detect trapped moisture in concrete floors, wall and ceilings, which could be due to leaking roof, damaged pipes, rain water , or underground seepage. Moisture Meter’s scientific and accurate diagnosis will help you evaluate the damage caused by dampness, so that you can take appropriate steps to waterproof home walls and roof before painting.

Also Read: Dampness in Walls and Ways to Prevent Dampness

2. Clean the surface before painting :

You don’t want the surface to be dirty before you paint the walls. If your walls have any dust particles/cobwebs, it is best to get rid of them before starting the painting process. Even if you can’t see anything on the surface, it is best to wipe it out to avoid any hindrance when you are painting.

3. Invest in premium-quality equipment and paint :

The whole idea of skimming through painting tips for a long lasting paint is to ensure you don’t have to re-do everything all the time. This will require you to invest in high quality paint as well as painting equipment like brushes, roller covers and painter’s tape. Good brushes and roller covers give good coverage so that you don’t waste time and paint on re-application, and a good painter’s tape ensures you can seal out drips and blurs.

4. Don’t skip the primer :

If you are painting new drywall, use a water-based primer to hide imperfections and provide an even base before applying colour. If you are painting panelling, water-damaged, or smoke-saturated walls, opt for an oil-based primer.

5. Mix several cans of paint in a large bucket for a consistent colour throughout :

Paint colour may vary slightly from can to can, so to eliminate any inconsistency, it is best to mix the cans in one big bucket and use the paint out of there. It is always recommended to have an estimation of the amount of paint that will be needed and accordingly go ahead with this process which is known as ‘boxing’.

6. Avoid lap marks :

To avoid stripe marks caused by rolling over paint that’s already starting to dry, keep a wet edge by painting the full height of the wall and then moving over slightly so you can overlap the last stroke with the next.

7. Paint the trim first :

Pros usually have an order that they follow. They first paint the trims, then the ceilings and then the walls. That’s because it is easier and faster to paint the trims than to tape off the wall. When painting the trim, you don’t want it to be perfect, you just want a smooth finish on the wood.

8. Sand trim between coats for a smooth finish :

One coat of paint probably won’t hide the underlying colour and sheen on the trim. And if you don’t sand the surface between coats, the finish may have a grainy texture. For a smooth finish, sand the trim before applying each coat of paint.

FAQs

1. Can you paint over old paint directly?

You probably don’t need a primer if the old paint and the new paint are chemically the same (for instance, oil-based). If the current wall is smooth and clean, you can directly use the new paint over the old paint.

2. What is the minimum paint coat you should apply?

The rule of thumb is to apply a minimum of two paint coats. However, the material and previous colour of the wall, can both play a vital role in this number, for instance, for unfinished drywall, you will need a coat of primer or undercoat paint too.

3. What if you don't apply primer to your wall before painting?

If you skip the primer, there is a higher risk of your paint peeling off, especially in humid conditions. Moreover, the lack of adhesion could make cleaning more difficult, months after the paint has dried. You may find the paint wearing off when you try to remove dirt or fingerprints.