So you are ready to do some home improvement and paint some rooms in your home. Here are a few steps that hopefully will help make the painting process a little easier. First of all what tools and equipment do you need?
• Paint and paint brushes, of course; use the size of paint brush that is easiest for you to hold
• A step ladder if there is any high work to be done
• Roller bucket, roller frame, roller knap, roller grid
• Cut pot (for the cut in work around trim etc)
• Drop cloths or other material to cover floors and furniture or other items in the room
• Caulk, caulk gun, wet rag (make certain the caulk is a paintable kind)
• Painter’s tape - the preparation is probably the most important step of a paint job.
• Caulk all cracks and holes making sure to wipe off excess with your finger or a wet rag; remove all nails and hooks from the walls and caulk the holes
• Sand the caulk until it is good and smooth but do not sand it completely off
• Tape around all door frames, door knobs, trim, and any other fixture or item that is not to be removed from the wall or walls
• Put drop clothes or other material on the floor and furniture; make sure to never use plastic on the floor since this is so slick and can cause you to slip and fall
• Once you are certain the caulk is dry you can begin painting; for a lot of people doing the cut in first makes it easier; this simply means that you use a brush to cut in around all trim work, fixtures, and anything you have to get close to
• You are then ready to paint the walls; most people find painting goes quicker and easier if they roll instead of brush; if you do brush, make certain to always look for brush strokes you might leave; either brushing or rolling, it is easier to go from top to bottom
• Make absolutely certain that you go either left to right or right to left; do not start in the middle; and always make certain that you keep your paint bucket on the side of the hand that you use; you never want to have to pull the roller or brush across your body
• If changing colors you will more than likely need two coats; always, always make certain that the first coat is completely dry before beginning the second coat; after the first coat make sure to look at your work and try to "spot" anything you might have missed
• Apply the second coat and look again at the work, looking for anything that might have been overlooked or missed
• Then step back and enjoy your work
But you are not finished. There is the job of cleaning up.
• Unless you use cheap brushes (not recommended unless using oil-based paint), always make sure to clean the brush out with warm water; if you are using oil-based paint it is best to get a brush made for oil paint; you will need paint thinner or mineral spirits to clean a brush used in oil paint
• If you would like to re-use your roller knap (which is really not recommended but can be done; it is best to get cheap roller knaps and throw them away) make certain to clean it also
• There is not really much use to cleaning the buckets since most of the time the paint will dry in them and you can simply peel it out
• Be sure to put the lid back on, very tightly, on any leftover paint and store it in a cool dry place where it will not freeze or get extremely hot (either of these conditions will ruin paint)
Once you are finished with your cleaning process you can simply enjoy your new paint job that you did all by yourself.
