Home Painting Techniques

Painting the interiors and/or exteriors is the easiest way to get your home a makeover. A good color job entails following a set of steps, failing which one can land themselves in days of sheer misery. Here's your guide to great looking walls and seemingly fresh interiors.

Before you begin, prepare the surface of the wall by removing any screens, lighting fixtures and objects that would hinder the work. Look for surface cracks and signs of wear especially around edges and window sills.

Scrape, scrub and sand the surface to get rid of any traces of old paint. Then wash the surface thoroughly to get rid of the dirt and grime. Allow the surface to thoroughly dry out before you begin with the next step.

Patch up all the small holes and cracks of the surface. Seal up all the joints where the trim meets the siding with a good quality exterior caulk. If there are some dark stains that aren't washed away, you can cover them up with stain blocking primer.

Once this is done, the surface is ready for a layer of primer. Ensure you use a suitable primer for the kind of surface you are going to be working with.

Again it is essential that you begin with getting rid of any traces of old paint. Remember to cover your furniture and precious items with old sheets or newspaper to avoid staining them. Apply a layer of good quality interior primer after you have sealed cracks tended to supposed wall problems.

Mix the color well so that the room gets a consistent color on all the walls. Add thinner into it in such a way that you do not end up making the paint too thin. Start with the ceiling so that the drips can be covered up when doing the walls. Start with the corners and edges of the ceiling and cover the moldings with the help of a wide brush.

Then paint the broad surfaces of the ceiling. With a roller brush gradually cover the ceiling with random zigzag strokes followed by parallel strokes. Start from any one side and move across the ceiling. If the ceiling is large then divide it into a number of sections and cover each section at a time.

Remember not to break the flow as it will result in a flaky finish. After the application of the first coat of paint, if you need to, you can put a second coat after the first one dries up. Lastly, color the trims of the windows, doors, the base board and any other narrow area with an angled brush.