Painting Tips and Tricks?
Question:Within the next couple of days I will be painting my room. I am an inexperienced painter. I would appreciate any tips and tricks everyone has. I am painting my ceiling and walls. Thanks!
Answers:
- Get more dropcloth than you think you need, and tape it down around the edges of the room so that it doesn't move out of place and expose the floor.
- Do the ceiling first, this will make it easier to get all the way into the corner and makes down-the-wall drips less problematic.
- Use an extension on a roller brush for the ceiling and for the walls, this will make it go much faster and will save a lot of trouble and muscle ache with the ceiling! Get a spongey corner brush to fill in corners where the roller won't be able to fit all the way.
- Splurge on a slightly-more-expensive paint tray. The supercheap ones are very flimsy which can be disasterous when you've got it filled with paint and are trying to move it. Get something made of a hard plastic. They're washable if you do it before the paint dries, and it really is worth the couple of extra bucks.
- When doing the ceiling, you may want goggles since the paint may come down on you a little-- paint in the eye is not fun!
- Paint with the roller (or any brushes) with an X pattern rather than up and down or side to side, IE paint a stroke on one diagonal, then bring it up to kind of criss-cross. This will give you a better coat that will be less likely to show the pattern you painted in, which can be a problem even with roller brushes.
- Get a new roller brush every time you do a painting session or take a break. They are washable but it's very hard to get all the paint out and once they get some dried on them it's really awful to paint with.
That's all I can think of! I mostly do theatrical scene painting, but it's all the same principle really. Good luck!
A few tips to consider:
- if going from a dark color to a lighter color, you will want to use primer first; primer not necessary if the walls are in good shape and you are moving from a light color to a dark color
- make sure you like the color; many manufacturers now sell samples so you can try the color on the wall first. If you paint a sample of the wall, look at it at different times of the day so you see how it looks at night and day. Also, make sure of the finish you want (e.g., flat, eggshell, glossy). For a bedroom, would suggest eggshell, and flat white ceiling paiint.
- make sure the walls are properly prepared and sanded where necessary as slight imperfections will show after you paint
- use painters tape around windows and molding to avoid spillover of your primary color
- use good brushes and rollers with even pressure throughout
- 2 coats is generally recommended
when you paint the ceiling, make sure you use a long extention, instead of climbing on ladders, which is unsafe.Put a roller on this extention, and paint ceiling first, make sure
You put enough paint on corners, The important thing is if you are using two colors to make sure the line on top is straight, otherwise it will look awful. Do the same thing on the bottom of the walls, and around doors, and windows.
You may tape these places, so You get an even straight line and you dont paint anything else but the walls. good luck,
Cover the entire floor with painter's dropcloth or plastic.
Paint the ceiling first, using plenty of blue 3M painter's tape to tape off around the top of the wall. You don't want the ceiling color on the wall, or vise versa. Let the ceiling totally dry, and tape off the ceiling. Also use the tape around window/door trim to keep paint from getting onto places you don't want. Paint the walls.
Blue tape rocks!
When you use painter's tape, make sure you press it down hard. If you don't the paint can seep under and make a mess. Also, don't try to stretch the paint beyond it's intended coverage. Keep a "wet edge", meaning to paint in one direction around the room. Go slow edging in until you get the hang of it.
Cut your ceiling in 1st and get about a 1/4 inch of ceiling paint on the walls. Next roll your ceiling using a 1/2 inch shed less nap on a roller frame and use a broom handle attached to it so you won't need a ladder assuming their 8 ft ceilings and remember once you start to roll it don't stop to talk or anything roll it complete. Next cut in a wall and roll that wall when your done cutting it in, you can use a good blue painters tape made by 3M, use your finger to make sure it's adhered well so you don't get seepage underneath, the best way is to not slop the paint on, cut in like the tape wasn't there and once done with that wall remove the tape. Also when cutting in always start about an inch away and pull the paint into the cut in line again so you won't slop the paint on your trim or ceiling. When rolling make a 2 ft w and fill it in with paint. As far as a primer well I think if you get one coat on in a day your doing good and then come back the next day with a second coat, we like primers cause they dry fast and we can second coat in the same day and they give a more uniform job IF mudding and patching were done and I doubt your gonna be repairing walls So take your time and use a good quality paint like Ben Moore and you'll be a pro by the time your done, Good luck Les the painter
More Related Questions & Answers...