THE PRIMER OF YOUR LIFE
Painting the interior of your home can be an ideal project for do-it-yourself rookies
Has anyone tackled their first DIY project of the new year yet? Hopefully, you haven't bitten off more than you can chew. If you're new to the DIY game, I always suggest that homeowners start off with cosmetic projects, like painting. Jobs like these are perfect for flexing your DIY muscles, because you're making some cosmetic upgrades, but leaving structure alone.
While we're on the topic of painting — will the new year bring a fresh coat of paint to your home? Painting is an easy way to refresh a room in your home and give it a new feel. If you're tackling a painting project yourself this year, here are a few of my tips to paint it right.
WHAT TOOLS DO I NEED?
You'll need your paint and primer (hopefully separate products), of course, as well as paint rollers and smaller brushes for your detailed work like the trim. To reduce cleanup, invest in a good drop cloth and some rags. If you need to patch any holes in the wall prior to painting, add a putty knife, sandpaper and some filling compound to your shopping list. And finally, depending on how high your ceilings are, you may require a ladder, as well.
HOW TO PAINT EFFICIENTLY
Ideally, the room should be as empty as possible, so remove as much furniture as you can. Anything that can't be removed, must be covered with a drop cloth — this is especially important if you're painting the ceiling. Speaking of the ceiling — if you're painting it, remove any fixtures, and if you can't, make sure to bag them up to protect them from splatter.
Take a damp cloth and wipe down the baseboards to remove any dust that's gathered. Unless you're a smoker, you shouldn't need to wash most walls in the home outside of the kitchen where you might see a lot of grease buildup. Repair any holes in your wall with your filling compound.
Generally, it's easiest to start with the small details, so start by painting your baseboards and trim. If you're doing the ceiling, that should be the second portion of the job you tackle and you end by painting the walls. Make sure to properly tape off your freshly painted trim so you don't mess up your handiwork.
When you move on to the ceiling, it's best to paint by following a grid formation of five square feet at a time. By keeping the edge of the grid wet, you'll be able to easily judge your progress as you paint. After you cover the entire ceiling, assess whether it needs another coat.
Finally, you're ready to move on to your walls. The best way to make your paint stick to the wall is to make the surface rough and uneven. This is why the primer coat is so important — this keeps you from having to sandpaper the entire wall. The primer makes it easier for your paint to adhere to the wall.
You should start by painting along the edges of your baseboards and ceilings. Once the edges are painted, use your roller to paint from top to bottom — don't go over one spot too much, and once the paint starts to dry leave it alone. Go through the entire wall first then once the paint dries, you can decide if you need another coat to even things out.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
Choosing the right kind of paint is important. Do you want an oil-based paint or a latex paint? What's the difference and why does it matter?
Latex paints are water-based, very flexible paints that dry quickly and are resistant to issues like bubbling and peeling. Oil-based paints are made with either synthetic or natural oils and are super durable and tend to require less coats than latex paints, but they take longer to dry and come with a more involved cleanup process.
Latex paints are getting better and better, and we're starting to see oil-based paints fall out of fashion. So while you could certainly still opt for oil-based paints in your home, choosing a latex paint is generally a smart idea.