Are you planning on painting your home for the first time? Make sure NOT to follow these “don’ts” to avoid making mistakes that can be detrimental to your renovation timelines.
Don’t Skip Tape
Accidents can happen all the time! When painting, you might go off-line, leading the paint job appear less seamless. That’s where painter’s tape comes in handy. Make sure to stick them on before getting started, and you will get clean lines and edges in the end. Painter’s tape helps to keep you “colouring within the lines” so that adjacent baseboards, cabinets or doors don’t end up with paint streaks of the wrong colour.
You will save time and money by adding painter’s tape to each area you are changing the colour of, carefully applying it to the edges, and painting with confidence that you’re not going to accidentally scuff your ceiling, cabinets, or baseboards!
Don’t Paint Without Primer
Prepping your wall before painting it is an absolute must. If you don’t use a primer, the paint won’t properly stick to the wall and show its actual colour. To ensure optimal results, use a primer or buy paint that can be used without primer. When you’re painting the entire home or office, it is not a matter of grab-and-paint. Multiple coats must be applied (for most types of paint) and require a primer to ensure the chemical bond is correct. The colour you’ve selected should retain its hue and not deviate from the expected outcome. The paint will correctly stick to the surface without dripping or creating unwanted patterns.
Sometimes, your painting project could be exposed to the elements, making a primer coat much more necessary. The primer acts as a seal where there may be exposure to moisture and helps prevent mould buildup—an occurrence prevalent in many new buildings. Finally, primer is essential as a new “canvas” layer to paint on, a surface free of debris or dust. If the previous colour was dark, a primer is an excellent method to cover the darker colour with a lighter paint.
Don’t Rush the Job
It’s essential to have patience when completing any task, which applies to painting. Even though it might be a time-consuming and arduous process, it’s all worth it! Stay patient, and you will achieve great results that you will be proud of.
Pay attention to the small details, and take extra precautions to ensure your pets are securely enclosed in a separate area of the house. During the project setup, taking the extra time to ensure you have all the necessary materials, precautions, and cleanup materials will make for a more enjoyable and efficient painting experience.
Don’t Over-Brush
As we all know, less is more! When it comes to painting, brushing over the same area multiple times will give noticeable brush marks and ridges on your walls. Instead, it’s important to quickly cover an area with paint and use a few strokes to level it off. That way, you will get a smooth and flawless finish.
Again, this is where the concept of primers or undercoats is essential. Many rookie painters who start immediately applying their brush to a surface without primer may feel that there is insufficient paint to cover the area. This leads to over brushing and using too much paint, creating unwanted layers while the paint dries.
Don’t Paint in Extreme Temperatures
Whenever paint is handled in extremely cold or hot temperatures, it becomes an immediate recipe for disaster. If you live in a cold climate, you should never paint when the temperature is too low. The reason is that the paint can’t fully dry and will come off of the material on contact.
Painting when the weather is burning hot is also a bad idea. The paint dries too quickly with the increased heat, and the chemical reactions can create a bubbling effect. That doesn’t paint a pretty picture, does it?
Often, people tend to overlook many factors while painting. Remember to keep these tips in mind, and you will have the perfect results.
Don’t Roll in Only One Direction
Most of us remember small details while colouring with pencil crayons in elementary school and minimizing overlapping/colouring in multiple directions. Physics works differently with painting, and special techniques can help keep a consistent appearance.
When painting a ceiling, work in small sections no larger than 5 square feet and always maintain a “wet edge” as you quickly move to the next painting section. Re-paint over each section perpendicular to the original brushstrokes as you progress through the painting region.
Author’s Bio Afsara Tasnim is a content writer for BreezeMaxWeb, who helps businesses grow their online presence by creating engaging copy. She enjoys taking photographs of nature and exploring the outdoors during her spare time.
