The Novice’s Guide to Painting Like a Pro, Painting & Decorating KNOW-HOW

If you have white or beige walls in your living room, you have an issue that affects millions of people worldwide. But before you take the next paintbrush and give it your all, ask yourself if you have any idea what you’re doing.

If you answered “No” or “Maybe,” then you are highly encouraged to review our comprehensive list of painting and decorating recommendations. Who knows, by the time you finish reading this, you may really like the entire process as much as the end result!

There Is More to Painting Than You Might Believe!

It is tempting to approach a painting project as though it were a game. Sadly, this is not the situation. If it were the case, there would not be so many professional painters and decorators across the world, would there? In reality, there are a great number of things that may go wrong with an interior remodel, particularly if it is hurried.

This is especially true if you lack the proper skills, equipment, and knowledge to strip and repaint your home’s walls or ceilings properly. If you cannot devote the necessary time and effort, it would be prudent to schedule a professional house painting service and hire a trained painter. If, on the other hand, you feel you are capable of doing this activity on your own, continue reading.

The Preparation for Painting: Clearing Up in 6 Easy Steps

• Reserve a preparation day. Let’s start by stating the obvious: you cannot accomplish everything at once, so equip yourself with a bit of patience and dedicate a day or so to different painting preparatory jobs before moving on to the actual project.
• Clear some room. These wall shelves, paintings, drawers, closets, and lighting will only hinder your progress. If you are unable to relocate everything into an adjacent room, consider placing your furniture in the middle of the room and concealing everything with a large drop cloth. To protect your items from splashes, don’t forget to tape the cloth in place and add an additional cover on top.
• Eliminate all hardware. There is no reason to torment yourself now if you’ve never painted around doorknobs or cabinet hinges previously. To protect your furniture from unexpected spills, keep all cabinet and door knobs, hinges, light switch plates, and switches within zipper storage bags. To minimise confusion, be sure to name each individual bag so that you know where all the parts and pieces should go (living room door, etc.) when the walls have been repainted.
• Fix that before you paint. If your wall surfaces have seen better days, you should repair them prior to painting. For example, spackle is an excellent product for repairing minor holes and cracks. In addition to fibreglass, you may use a variety of texturizing solutions to match the appearance of your existing wall finish precisely.
• Dress for the occasion. Unfortunately, your performance will not improve if you wear your nicest business suit. In fact, you’ll spend a lot at the local dry cleaner attempting to remove the paint splatters. To spare yourself a tremendous amount of trouble, we recommend removing any jewellery and donning old, baggy clothes. These garments consist of a pair of slip-on shoes and an outdated baseball cap (especially useful when painting ceilings). Also, remember to use some type of eye protection.
• Put together your desk. A well-organized work environment may do wonders for a project. Establish your workstation directly in the midst of the area you’re about to paint to ensure that everything is within easy reach. Gather your paint buckets, brushes, rollers, hammers, screwdrivers, plastic bags, paint can openers, drop cloths, and any other necessary items into a tidy pile.

The Painting Phase: Eleven Tips to Enhance Your Painting

Your chamber is clear of obstructions, you are appropriately attired, and your tools of the trade are in close proximity. What now? Here are a few strategies and tactics that pros employ frequently to get that flawless finish you see in Internet advertisements and on television.

Maintaining a “wet edge” will prevent lap marks.

There is nothing more frustrating than spending many hours painting walls only to wind up with mismatched paint layers. This typically occurs while rolling over a painted wall portion that has already dried. “wet edging” is one of the wall painting techniques you might employ to rectify this. This procedure will allow you to overlap the preceding stroke before it dries and ruins your laborious efforts. And this is how it functions:

Start at the corner of your wall with your roller and work your way up until you reach the top. In case you need to smooth out a paint buildup or a streak, be sure to shift slightly to the side when rolling and always paint in a backward manner. Always keep the roller half-loaded and the open side of the roller’s frame towards the portion of the wall that has previously been painted. This will result in less paint ridges as less pressure is applied to the roller.

Combine paints to get a homogeneous hue.

When giving recommendations on what sort of paint to put on walls, individuals frequently omit the most crucial detail. Consequently, each paint can often comes in somewhat varying hues of the same colour. Rather of discovering this after the fact, you may quickly remedy the problem by dumping all the cans into a 5-gallon bucket, a practise known as “boxing.”

If you are unable to determine the precise amount required for your job, you can never go wrong by adding more, since you can easily pour the excess back into the cans. If your job entails painting the kitchen in addition to many other rooms, we recommend purchasing a roller screen, since it will load your roller much faster than a conventional tray.

Remove the masking tape.

Do not make the rookie error of removing the masking tape before the paint has fully dried. You will have to repaint the damaged area because this method can remove large pieces of dry paint. Instead, wait at least 24 hours for the paint to completely dry before removing the masking tape off the wall using a sharp knife. When cutting, be sure to remove the tape at a 45-degree angle and begin in an inconspicuous area to determine whether the paint is dry.

First, paint the edges.

If you want to discover how professionals paint a room, you should know that they always begin by painting the edges, corners, and regions beneath your windows and around your door frames prior to painting the walls. This will allow you to tape off only specific portions of the wall, rather than the full surface.

It is simple to give these tricky areas of your home a fresh appearance. To do this, begin at the top of your wall and work your way down gradually. Additionally, do not dip your brush more than a fourth of the way into the container, since extra paint will drip over your fingers and create a sticky mess.

Uneven finish? Not if your wall is primed.

You may believe that your wall paint is homogeneous, but if you look closely, you’ll probably notice a few bright spots here and there. This blotchy condition is known as “flashing” and is typically the result of holes and cracks that were previously repaired with filler or drywall cement. Their smooth and drab surfaces will usually stand out in striking contrast to the rest of the wall and irritate you whenever you approach. And Heaven forbid if some of your guests also notice these.

All of this can be rectified with a single coat of primer, so don’t be discouraged. To match the texture of the surrounding paint, however, you must first select the appropriate nap thickness for your roller. We recommend a 1/2-inch nap for textured walls and a 3/8-inch nap for smooth surfaces. Once the primer has been applied, it will seal the patch, prevent the paint from sinking in, and restore its lustre. Problem fixed.

Clean before to painting for optimal results.

This section is often omitted from painting and decorating guidelines, despite its significance. While it may be tempting to cover all dirt and dust with a fresh coat of paint, it will certainly flake off shortly. To guarantee that your paint will remain intact, don a pair of rubber gloves, eye protection, and a deglosser or any other heavy-duty cleaning agent. Apply your selected cleaning solution to a lint-free cloth and clean the dirty area using circular movements. After removing all greasy fingerprints and stains, your walls will nearly paint themselves.

Ensure textural uniformity by rolling paint over the edges.

If the painting was done by a professional, you can quickly tell by examining the corners and regions next to the trim. Why? Because they are often painted with a brush alone, they have a distinct texture and stand out instantly.

To avoid this common error, ensure that the paint is uniformly distributed using a roller before it dries. Try to roll as near as possible to the edge without hitting the other wall or dropping paint on the trim. Once the paint has been applied evenly, go to the next area.

Cotton drop cloths are the most cost-effective option.

The occurrence of paint spills and splatters is as inevitable as wind or precipitation. However, this does not exclude preparation for their flashy look. It is inexpensive to get a canvas of drop cloths, and it acts as an appropriate covering for virtually any surface. Additionally, the paint will dry more quickly, preventing you from tracking any paint about the house.

Remember that canvas can become quite slippery when put on hard surfaces. This, however, may be readily remedied by purchasing rosin paper sheets. Create a firm basis for the fabric canvas by taping the sheets together and then to the floor itself to secure the area. As soon as a spill occurs, make careful to absorb it using paper towels or fabric rags.

Feather out paint in locations that are difficult to reach.

Unfortunately, if you attempt to paint large walls or stairwells with continuous strokes, you may have difficulty. However, you may prevent the majority of lap marks by feathering out the paint in spots where it is physically impossible to retain a wet edge.

To avoid paint buildups, roll a nearly dry roller along the edge in a variety of directions while feathering (thinning) the paint. Once you’ve painted the whole length of your wall or ceiling with this thin coat of paint, go to the following stage. Then, cover the feathered spots with additional coloured substance applied in the opposite direction.

Sand the trim between coats.

Generally, a single layer of paint is insufficient to cover the original colour of wall trimmings. In contrast, applying two coats consecutively without sanding will result in an unpleasant, gritty finish. To obtain a smooth finish, sand the surface with a fine-grit sanding sponge before and after applying the first layer (for the latter, wait for at least 24 hours first). After each sanding, vacuum the trim and clean it down well to eliminate dust.

Do not sacrifice quality.

Our may be one of the most important interior painting recommendations on this list. Patience and good technique can only get you so far; if you don’t have the necessary instruments (paints, brushes, rollers), the results will be, at best, underwhelming. When you next visit your local hardware shop, resist the desire to purchase the cheapest brushes available. Some of the disadvantages of purchasing dirt-cheap supplies include brush hairs all over your painted wall and brushes that refuse to hold a sufficient quantity of paint, requiring you to work twice as hard to obtain a satisfactory finish. In other words, avoid doing it. You are on notice.

The Phase Following Painting: Adding the Final Touches

Now that you’ve painted your room to your specifications, it’s time for some touch-ups and cleaning. But where do you even start? Simply read the following advice, and you’ll be able to transform your drying walls and/or ceiling into a work of art in no time.

• Keep some paint on hand for touch-ups. Obtain a tiny jar or a metal storage container to hold a little amount of paint when you need to conceal dings or scratches. When you pour the paint, be careful to record the location where it was last used (hallway walls, kitchen cabinets, etc.). Notate its kind while you’re at it, such as latex, satin, gloss, or eggshell. Simply give the container a thorough shake and use a Q-tip or foam brush to cover minor defects when doing tiny repairs.
• Obtain many razor blades. With these sharp tools in hand, removing extra paint off windows, tiles, and glass surfaces is a piece of cake. Also, the drips will not spread across the surface. Just avoid scratching the surface.
• Keep a couple cleaning cloths on hand. Without at least a few pieces of fabric at your side, you are doomed. Use them to remove excess paint, collect drips, absorb spills, and wash your hands frequently to prevent inadvertent smudges on your otherwise immaculate wall.

Additional Tips & Tricks: 16 Painting and Decorating Tips

Do you still exist? You are going to add sixteen brilliant decorating tips and tricks to your arsenal of painting techniques. We asked the professional painters and decorators at OsDecor what painting tricks they ended up employing frequently, and here are their responses:

• Avoid washing your brush or roller during each break and cover it in plastic instead. Seal them in a plastic bag, and they are ready for transport.
• Onions may be used to absorb paint fumes by slicing them and placing them nearby.
• Attaching a container’s lid to your paintbrush will capture all of the paint drips.
• Use vinegar to wipe down metal surfaces to prevent paint from flaking.
• Place the treated objects in a box for orderly storage (if you use spray paint).
• Brushes may be unclogged by immersing them in hot vinegar for 30 minutes.
• Rub a candle over wooden surfaces to give an aged appearance.
• By coating screws and keyholes with petroleum jelly, painting can be avoided.
• Just add one tablespoon of vanilla extract to your paint bucket to experience for yourself how effective it is in masking the odour of strong paint fumes.
• Tape the door hinges with masking tape to preserve their natural colours.
• A lint roller is all that is required to remove the fuzz from a paint roller and start to work.
• Not equipped with a paintbrush holder? Use an empty plastic bottle in its place.
• Cover your toilet tank with a waste bag to make painting your bathroom simpler.
• Need your brushes to be ready for activity the next day without having to clean them? Put them in the refrigerator!
• Refresh stale masking tape by microwaving it for no more than 11 seconds.
• Aluminium foil is your greatest friend when you’re attempting to prevent paint splatters from adhering to items that are in your way (taps, pipes, etc.).