5 Tips for Interior Painting

Interior painting is a project most homeowners will take on at least once in this lives, most homeowners will paint their house many times. A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for a home and change the dynamic of a room completely. While it can seem like a simple process, there are some general tips that the pros use that can make painting your house exponentially easy. Here are the top 5 tips for painting your house like a real professional painting contractor:

Tip #1: Always Paint in Order; Trim, Ceiling, Walls

Painting in this order ensures that you will do less taping and also allows you to be less careful when painting the trim. You don’t need to worry about keeping the paint just on the trim, as the wall will later be painted over. Just make sure to get a nice smooth even coat of paint on the trim and let it dry for 24 hours or so. Next, paint the ceiling and follow a similar process of making sure your paint is smooth and evenly applied. Once you move onto the walls, use painters tape to tape off the ceiling and trim and paint the walls as normal.

Tip #2: Roll Paint Properly and Keep a Wet Edge

Paint rollers may seem like an easy of tool, but many people can get this step wrong. The key to making sure there are no lap marks (uneven layers of paint) is to have your roller loaded correctly with paint. You do not want to be pressing the roller against the wall hard to get coverage, this makes for more work and is more likely to get an inconsistent coat. You will need to paint the entire wall in one shot, so make sure you have enough paint poured to do so and be prepared. Once you start, move your roller up and down the wall’s full height and move over slightly between each roll. Never let the previous roll dry at all, this will prevent lap marks.

Tip #3 Apply Painters Tape Correctly

Painters tape is one of the most valuable tools a painter can have, but needs to be used correctly. Make sure the trim has been cleaned of any dirt or residue with a damp cloth so that you’re not taping any grime onto the trim. When applying the tape, make it is tight against the wall and covers the edge between the wall and trim. You will want to a use a painter’s tape that is at least twice the width of the trim itself and leave it flat to catch any paint drips. Wait until the trim is completely dry before removing the tape or you may take pieces of the paint with it.

Tip #4 Fill Every Single Hole, Even Tiny Ones

The last think you want to do is finish the paint job and realize you can still see blemishes. When you are inspecting the trim, walls, and surfaces you are painting use a light to look at blemishes closely and circle them with a pencil. Go back and fill each one of these holes properly, no matter how small. This is going to allow your paint to be even and beautiful the first try.

Tip #5 Never Use Paint Trays, Use Buckets

Most amateur painters use the classic painting tray to keep their roller wet and this can become a real hassle. A bucket allows you to mix more paint, so that you have an even and consistent color being applied to your walls at all time. The bucket also allows for the paint to be more mobile, should you need to move your bucket as you are painting down a long wall. There is a piece of equipment named a paint screen, that can put inside the bucket to help keep your roller from have dripping paint.

With these 5 tips, your paint job is going to come out looking like a pro and your neighbors and guests are going to be asking who you hired! You can tell them, with pride, that you are the interior home painting pro!

Jessica Biel

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