Understanding Painting Rules

Prep Work To Do Before You Paint Your Next Room

26 February 2018

Constance Cunningham

Painting a room takes a lot of work. If you do the job right, it should take some time not just to paint the room itself, but in the preparation work before you paint. This prep work is important in order to achieve a professional-looking paint job. Skimping out on this prep work may mean extra coats of paint and extra work for you. See below for preparation tasks to perform before you paint another room in your home.

Wash The Walls

Sure the paint you buy may be good paint that has primer included, but if your walls are dirty, the paint may not adhere properly. You could also end up with stains on your walls that could come right through the paint, marring your new paint job as well. Wash your walls with a mild detergent diluted with water and a soft cloth or sponge. Wash every inch of your walls including trim and baseboards (ceiling too if you're painting the ceiling). Be sure to wring out your cloth or sponge so you don't get your walls too wet. 

Fill Holes 

Fill in holes using drywall patch. Fill in the holes with the patch (which is like a putty) and a putty knife. Use the putty knife to remove any excess on the wall. Allow the patch to dry, then sand it smooth to blend with the rest of your wall. Wipe the wall clean when you're finished to remove any sanding dust. Repeat this around the entire area you are painting.

Sand The Wall Smooth

You may feel along your walls when you're cleaning or filling holes and spotted a few areas that feel bumpy. You may feel old paint roller marks, drip marks or other rough patches. Use a sanding block or sandpaper to remove these rough areas. Be sure to use a fine grit piece of sandpaper for this job so you don't leave marks on your wall from the sandpaper. Again, wipe the walls after sanding to remove sanding dust.

Tape Around Trim And Baseboards

Before you begin painting, use painter's tape to tape around areas you don't want to get paint on such as trim, baseboards, and the ceiling. Unless you are really good at painting a straight line, painter's tape is the best thing you can use to give you that straight edge and protect those other surfaces. 

This preparation work should be done before painting any room in your home. The extra work is worth the effort, so don't skip it.

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