15 Common Painting Mistakes to Avoid
June 26, 2020
When doing a home-remodeling project it is well worth your while to do a thorough job from the start. Here are 15 mistakes that people commonly make, which you should try to avoid.
1. Starting a painting project before getting all materials needed.
- It can be very frustrating half-way through your project to realize you’re missing one of the necessary materials. So before you start, do a quick inventory and make sure you have everything you need.
2. Skipping the tape.
- Even the best painters can accidentally go out of the lines when painting, so grab some painters tape to get clean lines and edges.
3. Skipping the surface preparation.
- New paint won’t stick to glossy or dirty walls in bad condition. Take some time to properly prep, or you will have problems with your project later on.
4. Painting without priming.
- Primer makes the paint adhere better, and makes your paint more vibrant. So for best results: use primer, or get a paint that is made to be used without primer.
5. Being impatient.
- After you fix the holes in the wall with a patching compound, it’s easy to want to do the sand and prime immediately; but make sure you let it dry completely before you do the next step. Otherwise you’ll have to re-do it all. Same goes for drying paint, make sure you follow the instructions for drying time before applying a second coat.
6. Failing to protect the floor.
- Always expect to get paint on the floor when painting. So before you open the can, make sure the floor is completely covered with plastic covering or a drop-cloth.
7. Underestimating the amount of paint needed.
- Professionals say you need 1 gallon of paint for every 400 square feet. Plan ahead to avoid running back and forth to the paint store. Also, if you have to get another batch of paint, you run the chance of having the colors not match perfectly.
8. Assuming the walls are clean.
- People don’t usually think to wash their walls before painting, but paint looks much better when it has a good, clean surface to adhere to. Wash your walls before painting and you will get better results.
9. Painting with furniture in a room.
- Removing paint from your furniture is virtually impossible, so if you can’t move it out of the room, at least make sure it is covered with a drop-cloth.
10. Painting when the humidity is high.
- When the air is humid it takes longer for paint to dry, so if the weather is more humid than usual, wait a day or two for the moisture to decrease.
11. Using a bad paintbrush.
- Make sure the brush you use is in good shape. When choosing a paintbrush to use with latex paint, nylon or polyester bristles work best.
12. Forgetting paint build-up on pad edge.
- When you use edge pads around ceiling edges and corners, make sure you frequently wipe off excess paint to avoid marking the surface.
13. Splattering door knobs.
- Unless you like the look of speckled door-knobs, we suggest you slip some plastic on them.
14. Painting the wall plates.
- It only takes a couple minutes to remove the wall plates and tape around your light switches and electrical outlets. The results are well worth the extra few minutes.
15. Brushing when you should be rolling.
- Brushing larger areas tends to leave brush-stroke lines that show after the paint dries. For large interior areas, a roller will do a better job in less time.
Take note of these before you start painting and your project should turn out great!
If you have any questions or would like an estimate for your project, call us at 1-800-PAINTING. Lancaster Painting services Modesto, Turlock and the surrounding areas, we would be happy to serve you.
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