Preparing Rooms for Paint
by Carrie Smith
Description: Cleaning tips for preparing a room for paint.
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While it is certainly not the most enjoyable part of the painting
process, careful preparation can make your home painting project easier and
less stressful. In fact, this is quite possibly the most important
part of the job.
Improper or incomplete preparation is a recipe for disaster. Fail to
prepare, and your project is doomed before it has even begun.
The steps I’ve listed below are general, all-purpose prep rules. They
are standard steps for most jobs. Before and after preparation, reassess
the space to see if something does not look fully prepared.
Things You’ll Need:
• Roll of plastic sheeting
• Painter’s Tape
• Primer (Water-based Primer is usually sufficient)
• Spackling Compound
• Putty Knife
Clear the Room
Clearing the room of all possible obstacles is the first step toward a
quality paint job. A cluttered room will increase the stress, work,
and difficulty of your painting project.
Begin by clearing the walls any removable pieces. This includes outlet
covers, light switch covers, curtain rods, pictures, etc… Label any
outlet covers and light switches with masking tape so they can find their
proper home again. Keep the mounting hardware together (a plastic
sandwich bag works great), labeled, and in a safe place.
Remove everything that’s possible from the room’s interior as well.
Furniture, fabrics, home décor. Furniture that cannot be removed for
some reason should be moved into the center of the room and covered with
plastic sheeting. You should not use cloth to cover the floor or any
furniture, as paint will soak into the fabric and stain whatever is
underneath.
Clean the Room
Clean the room thoroughly. Vacuum carpets. Sweep and mop floors.
Wipe down baseboards and woodwork with a damp cloth. Clean those pesky
cobwebs from the corners.
Once this stage of cleanup is completed, cover the floor completely
with plastic sheeting. Secure the sheeting to the edges of the floor or
baseboard with painter’s tape.
Wash the Walls
Walls (even those that look clean) accumulate dust, oily buildup, soot
(from candles, cigarettes, etc…). Washing the walls to be painted is a
critical step in the preparation process. Paint will not adhere well
to dirty, oily walls.
There are many cleaning products available on the market for this type
of application, but I’ve found that plain old dish soap and warm water
works just about as well as any of them. A sponge-headed mop is an
excellent tool for actual cleaning. Its long handle should allow you to
reach 8 or 9 foot tall walls with relative ease.
Once the walls have gotten a thorough washing, give them a final
once-over with plain old water to wash any soapy residue from the surface.
Patch Holes
A smooth surface is critical to the finished look of your paint
project. Fill any nail holes, small dents, and nicks in the drywall with
spackling compound.
Press the spackle firmly into the hole with a putty knife and smooth as
flat as possible. Allow several hours to dry (per spackling
manufacturer’s instructions). Sand the repairs flush with the wall. Apply a
second coat of spackling if necessary. Sand flush.
Spackling is meant only for minor drywall repairs, such as nail holes,
hairline cracks, and small nicks. I urge you to contact a professional
contractor/drywaller for any larger repairs, unless you are confident
in your ability to handle it yourself. Drywall finishing is something
of an art form (in my book at least) and I have encountered far too many
botched do-it-yourself jobs to prescribe the “fix-it-yourself” method.
Priming
Once you have patched your walls, priming is the next step in preparing
them for paint. Primer bonds to your current surface and gives you a
perfect base to paint on. Primer may be unnecessary if you are using
Latex Paint to paint over a previous low-gloss latex paint.
Even if your surfaces are already painted with a low-gloss, latex paint
and do not require priming, you should apply primer to any areas that
are patched with spackling. These areas will appear glossy even after
painting if they are not spot-primed.
Taping
Taping is another necessary evil of preparing for paint. Taping off
baseboards, woodwork, light switches, outlets, ceilings, adjoining walls,
etc, is the best way to protect those surfaces you do not intend to
paint.
Use only “painter’s tape”. It is blue and available at nearly any
paint, home improvement, or hardware store. Any other tape may damage your
surfaces when you attempt to remove it. Painter’s Tape is low tack and
can usually be removed without incident within two weeks of
application.
Taping can be very painstaking work. Apply it so the edge is flush
against the surface to be painted, then press down along that border with
a putty knife to seal the adhesive. This will help keep paint from
seeping behind your tape.
Once you have finished taping off all areas, you are ready to begin
painting. Take a deep breath. The hardest part is already done.
Carrie Smith is a professional painter and faux finisher. She has her
own website, http://www.how-to-faux-finish.com, where you can find
information on all aspects of interior painting and faux finishing.
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