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By: Adam Smith
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.
About The Author
Adam Smith is a professional painter and faux finisher. He
runs an informational "how-to" site on interior
painting and faux finishing for do-it-yourselfers at http://www.how-to-faux-finish.com/. |
