Unless your structure is New and Freshly Primered, you will have as much Prep Work as you will have Painting! As a consequence, this is the reasoning behind most homeowners choosing to Pay Professional Painters when requiring Home Interior Painting! Exterior (Building) Painting is a World of Its Own, which I won’t detail here.
Your Prep Work will include:
Removing all Furniture
Removing all non-essential and non-industrial light sources, such as chandeliers, ornate light fixtures, ceiling fans (if you are painting ceiling), etc.
Removing all switch plates/outlet plates (turn off Power firstly)
Dusting walls by sweeping with clean/”like-new”, stiff broom
Possibly sanding uneven surfaces
Patching and curing holes
Sealing cracks
Failure to remove debris on walls, uneven surfaces, and brushes/sprayer with remains of old paint and dirt are the main causes for paint peeling.
Now that half of your Prep Work is Complete:
It is time to wash your walls.
Firstly, spot check your wall for any stains or smudges. A dampened “paste of Baking Soda and Water” on a clean lint-free cotton cloth will remove most marks. Do not rub too roughly, that you remove paint to the bare wall. Anything that cannot simply be rubbed off of your wall should probably be primmered or spot primmered prior to project.
Washing the Wall really entails wiping the wall down (from top to bottom) with a damp (natural material) cloth- Not soaking your walls! The point is to remove any debris that your broom did not pick-up yet, keeping your wall relatively dry.
After “Washing The Walls” you are now ready to mask off your windows, door frames, baseboards, sconces, and any other detailed item that will not be painted –or- will be painted at a later time. Remember to have ceiling somewhat clean irregardless of whether or not ceiling is to be painted, as dust, cobwebs, and particles can drift down onto your freshly painted walls.
Follow this step with the covering of the Floor, unless you have pulled-up old carpet or tile before hand. Paint will follow gravity and drip onto flooring (either from walls, brushes, or the unfortunate spilling of paint buckets). Knowing that you are painting over a drop cloth is much more settling to your mind than worrying about your flooring.
Drop Cloths:
Any Furniture, Appliance, Carpet, or Flooring must be covered with some sort of Drop Cloth prior to Painting!
You will have an array of choices in this area. I like to think in term of the type of Paint, when considering drop cloths. Additionally, budget is a factor as well as the color of paint also playing a part in your drop cloth purchase. How often are you to paint? Can you pass-on the painting accessories to a neighbour, relative, or charity home remodeling group? Or, should you simply avoid purchasing a professional drop cloth in light of using something already in your possession?
Being concerned with the environment, I rather avoid using plastic, whenever possible. Canvas drop cloths are more expensive yet can last nearly a lifetime, with proper care.
- 1st Canvas
- 2nd Assorted Cloth
- 3rd Paper
*The last two I would suggest: Paper/Poly, and finally Plastic
All content by Europa Pirate
