Keeping up with your home maintenance can be hard.
Making a huge checklist is unnecessary if you’ve meant to paint your house or apartment. But there are only a few crucial steps.
Learn what not to do when painting your home with this guide to common home painting mistakes.
1. Not Preparing Your Surfaces Before Painting
This cannot be overlooked as it is key to getting a quality, long-lasting finish. Ensure surfaces are clean and free of dust, dirt, old paint, and other debris. Remove loose paint using a putty knife, lightly sand glossy surfaces, fill any cracks, and repair any damages.
Priming is essential as it helps paint stay on and gives it a beautiful finish. Keep a wet edge during painting, and never paint the same area twice. Allow each coat of paint to dry completely before beginning the next.
2. Choosing the Wrong Paint for the Job
Latex paint is best for interior walls, and latex enamels are better for trim. Enamels have more hardness and durability than regular latex paints, so using these on interior walls results in a finish that is too difficult to clean and can easily be scratched.
Oil paints, best for exteriors, can trap moisture within walls or wood when used inside the house. Picking different paint colors with the wrong sheen for the Job can also be a disaster.
3. Failing to Protect Surrounding Furniture and Fixtures
Start by covering furniture with tarps, sheets, or drop cloths to protect them from dust, debris, and paint. Another important mistake to avoid is not removing hardware from door frames and other fixtures.
If hardware, such as doorknobs and cabinet handles, is left on these fixtures during painting, it can end up with paint chips and bumps in the wrong places, ruining the finished look.
4. Choosing Poor Quality Brushes and Rollers
Despite the initial savings, these are prone to leaving behind brush strokes, bristles, or inadequate coverage. To avoid this mistake, purchasing high-quality brushes, specifically, those designed for use with the paint type, is important.
When selecting rollers, consider their nap; longer naps provide a more heavy-duty finish required for some outdoor applications.
5. Not Applying an Even Coat of Paint
An uneven coat of paint results in a rough surface finish which can leave unsightly patchy marks. Such unevenness can be caused by a few possible issues, such as not stirring the paint throughout the painting process, using improper technique, or even not prepping the surface properly before painting.
To ensure a uniform and even coat of paint, it is important to properly mix the paint beforehand and use a consistent painting technique throughout the entire process. If you want help with your residential painting project, check out this Painting Company.
6. Not Establishing a Safe Working Environment
Painting inside your home brings a host of risks, from bacteria-like hazardous gases and lead-based paint chips to the risk of falls. Working in an unsafe environment can lead to illnesses, injuries, and even fatalities. To avoid this type of mistake, it is important to ensure that your home is free of hazards.
Avoid These Common Home Painting Mistakes
Good painting prep work and careful application are the keys to avoiding common home painting mistakes. Take your time, be purposeful, and use quality paints and supplies, and you’ll help ensure a successful job. Consider these tips when you start a painting project of your own.
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