Painting your home is a chance to breathe new life into it and completely change the home’s vibe without making major changes. However, it can be a bit of a laborious task, and if you mess up, you can end up causing damage to your stuff or having a blemished paint job.
Today, we will help you avoid those issues with some painting tips you likely aren’t aware of.
Let’s get started with our home painting tips!
1: Use Paint Conditioner
Painting a home sounds simple. You just buy a few gallons of paint, crack them open, and start slathering paint all over the place, right? Well, you can use paint straight from the can, but it also helps to use a paint conditioner.
A paint conditioner is a product that you mix with paint to enhance its performance. It will help the paint level out more evenly, keep it from leaving brush streaks, and more. All remodeling contractors use this product to enhance the quality of the final result.
Those benefits are helpful everywhere, but the paint conditioner really shines when you’re painting detailed surfaces. Think of more ornate molding and similar parts of your home. The conditioner helps the paint fill in the cracks smoothly and evenly.
This seems like another expense to add to your budget, but it can greatly help with getting you the results you dream of.
There are a lot of brands of paint conditioner on the market. So, make sure you check reviews of several before settling on a choice.
2: Don’t Paint Over Glossy Surfaces
Unless you’re painting a brand new addition to your unfinished home, you likely have an existing layer of paint on everything. That can greatly affect the quality of your results.
First, you have to consider the color of the paint you’re painting over and the color of the new paint. Depending on the combo, you might have to put additional layers of paint on to ensure you fully cover all the previous layers of paint.
That’s not the main concern, though. Most paint used for home improvement projects can get the job done in the majority of situations. The real issue is if the previous coat was glossy.
Glossy paint can prevent your new layer from applying properly. Unfortunately, if you have a layer of glossy paint in the area you’re painting, you’ll need to strip it or sand it to remove the gloss first. This will ensure the new coat goes on perfectly.
3: Seal Your Painter’s Tape
First, you need to tape off all the edges before you paint. If you don’t, you’ll get paint in places it’s not supposed to be such as on trip or along the edges of the ceiling. Most homeowners are aware of that tip, though.
What many homeowners aren’t aware of is just how well they need to apply the painter’s tape.
Painter’s tape won’t go down perfectly. It’ll crinkle, crease, and generally be annoying to deal with. Especially if you’re not a professional painter who uses it every day. You have to move slowly while applying it to avoid those issues and ensure it lines up perfectly.
You also need to firmly press the tape as you apply it to form a seal. Even if your tape looks like it’s good enough, if you didn’t ensure there was a seal, paint can work its way under the tape and leave blemishes. These mistakes are small, but they’re one of the easiest signs of an amateur paint job.
4: Avoid Extreme Temperatures
Our next home painting tip is often overlooked by rookie painters – temperature considerations.
Most people try to paint their homes around late spring and early summer. The weather is usually clear, it’s not frigid anymore, and it just makes sense.
However, you still need to pay close attention to the climate you’re working in.
If you go to paint your home on a particularly hot day, the paint won’t set properly. It can develop bubbles, refuse to adhere, etc. On a very cold day, some of the same issues can occur, and drying times can be exponentially longer than expected.
When you’re planning your painting day, check the forecast for a day that is between 50 and 90 degrees.
5: Avoid Rainy or Humid Days
Again, this has to do with when you tackle the project. Obviously, you can’t paint outside on a rainy day, but sometimes, it’s tempting to paint interiors while it’s pouring down rain and you’re stuck in the house. Don’t do that.
Excessive moisture in the air can dramatically increase dry times or cause blemishes in the paint if it’s bad enough.
The same is true if you plan to paint on an extremely humid day, and it’s for the same reason.
It can be somewhat humid, but you want to do your best to avoid painting in extreme humidity or rain.
6: Buy and Store Extra Paint
For most projects, you try to look at the exact amount of materials you’ll need to complete the project, and that’s what you buy. That’s the best way to stay within your budget as long as you do everything correctly. The same is partially true for painting your home, but you should buy a couple of extra cans with the intention of not using them.
The reason for this is that paint wears down over time.
You’re going to look at your beautiful paint job and notice chips or maybe an area that your kid damaged with a marker, and you’ll want to fix the problem. Except, it’s not always easy to get the exact same paint to do those little touch-ups. Especially after several years go by.
By buying a few extra cans, you ensure that you have enough paint to handle those little obstacles as they pop up, and you don’t have to worry about getting paint custom-mixed and hoping it works.
However, you have to make sure you store it properly. Keep the cans sealed, and store them in a cool, dry place. The paint will stay good for years this way, and by the time it goes bad, you’ll be looking at a whole new paint job, anyway.
Get Your Home Professionally Painted
Of course, you can also skip all these home painting tips, the hours of labor, and everything else by hiring a trained professional to handle the job.
A professional painting service can give you the highest quality results without any of the hassle.
If you’re looking for the best remodeling services in the Oakland area, contact Point Vertex Construction. Our professional contractors will renovate your living space beyond your expectations!
