A I Remodeling

Spring is just around the corner. This article is all about giving the interior of your house a professional paint job. As a professional house painter here are some important tips to help when painting the interior of your home.

#1.) Before starting any interior house painting or prep work, take down curtain rods, pictures, nails, remove wall socket covers, etc. Sometimes it is easier to buy new socket covers. Lay down some drop cloths or plastic to protect the carpeting and furniture.

#2.) Teenagers are good at putting sticky-tape or gummy stuff all over doors and walls. I use a product called “Nafta” for removing the stuff. You can find it at your paint store.

#3.) Next, lightly sand the walls and the ceiling with a pole-sander. This helps remove cobwebs and any paint buggers left from the last paint job.

#4.) Now you’re ready to roll out the ceiling. I use a flat white ceiling paint on bedrooms, living rooms, dinning rooms and hallways. For kitchens and baths I use a washable sheen paint (eggshell or satin finish). I usually finish the ceiling first. I do two coats.

#5.) While waiting for the ceiling to dry between coats, start cutting in the walls in the corners and around the woodwork and around windows using a 2″ angular brush. Don’t bother cutting in near the ceiling line until you have the second (finish) coat on the ceiling complete.

#6.) Once the ceiling is completed, roll out the walls with the primary coat of paint.

#7.) Now after the walls are first coated and dry, look for drywall cracks and small holes that need fixing. Dig or score them out a little, sand and fill with lightweight drywall joint compound.

#8.) I like to peen nail holes with a long skinny bolt. This makes them easier to fill. Tiny nail holes seem to dish outward even after you sand them. By Peening them in slightly all I have to do is skim coat them flat with drywall compound and lightly sponge-sand them later or the next day.

#9.) If you are not putting pictures or curtain rod brackets back up in the same places go ahead and fill the holes you don’t want and sand smooth when dry also.

#10.) If any of the holes that held curtain rods or anything else didn’t tightened up well, use “drywall anchors”. A proper drywall anchor is a spiral-shaped plastic screw plug that comes with it’s own metal screw in the center. For plaster use regular smooth anchors.

#11.) After the drywall defects are repaired and dry (usually by the end of the day), sand with a light sand sponge until smooth. Second coat the ones that need more with another thin coat of drywall compound.

#12.) The next step is to prime all of the repaired areas that you fixed and sanded. Once they are primed and dry, make sure they look smooth. If not, put another light coat of drywall compound on them and re-sand when dry.

#13.) If you see stains (ink or crayon marks) lightly sand them out most of the way. You can use a product called “Bin”, which is a shellac primer. Another primer is called Krylon “Fusion”. Both are available in an arousal spray and will block “bleed-thru” stains. Cover the area with drops before spraying because the spray does travel.

#14.) Now the ceiling is finished and all four walls have been completely first coated. Drywall repairs are done. If the woodwork is to be painted I do a light sand and prime or paint that up one coat also. Fill and caulk all needed areas before giving everything a final coat. Now it is time to cut in at the top of the four walls along the ceiling line doing two coats. I will also cut in the corners and around the windows, trim and woodwork one more time. Now you can finish the walls with the final coat of paint.

#15.) Once the room is dry, The last thing needed is the top final coat of paint on the woodwork. You’re done! Everything has two solid coats of paint and all your drywall repairs and caulking were done between coats. Put your socket covers back and everything else back in place.