Of all the home-improvement tasks, painting gives the most bang for the buck. Paint can drench a room with vibrant color, or tone it down—all for only a few dollars.
Of all the home-improvement tasks, painting gives the most bang for the buck. Paint can drench a room with vibrant color, or tone it down—all for only a few dollars.
Paint chips are notorious for looking different once they are on the wall because light in the room plays a major role. Buy a quart of paint and test it before investing in more. Paint pieces of white poster board; see how they change under your lighting conditions.
The right way to paint.
Preparation takes longer than the actual painting. Taking the time to properly prepare the surface makes all the difference in the final results. Plan on spending at least as much time cleaning and repairing as you do painting Paint covers discolorations, but not surface flaws.
It coats the bumps, nicks, dents, and cracks that are part of the wall, door, or trim, but it won’t make the blemishes go away. That’s your job
Buy the best paint, rollers, and brushes you can get.
Cheap paint, made with more filler than pigment, turns powdery after a couple of years. Cheap rollers and brushes mar the surface by leaving fuzz and bristles behind.
Protect all surfaces you are not painting, including floors, trim, woodwork, and furnishings.
Clean the surface. Wipe down the walls or trim with trisodium phosphate (TSP) or a phosphate-free wall-cleaner substitute. Then rinse the wall with a sponge and clean water until the water runs clear.
Let the surface dry. Then look for and repair every imperfection you find. The staff in the paint department can advise you on the best products to use for your particular problems, but count on using some of these:
Caulk. Fill exterior cracks with caulk. Inside, caulk between walls and molding, and run caulk down the corners