So you’ve decided to add a fresh coat of paint to your walls! There’s nothing that elevates and transforms a home more than a brand new coat of paint. But while slabbing paint across your walls may seem easy in theory, it’s actually pretty tricky once you get down to it.
For starters, you’re faced with a dizzying selection of paint options, with some colors virtually indistinguishable from one another. And then you have to figure out how much your project needs and the proper tools to use. And while you’re doing the painting itself, you have to be extra careful, lest you want to repeat the process all over again.
To help you prevent making costly mistakes on your next paint job, here are some common painting blunders you have to avoid:
Not prepping the right way
It’s normal to get extra enthusiastic about painting your walls a fresh coat of color, but in the midst of your excitement, you might overlook doing proper preparation. The most critical step in the painting process, you need to prepare the walls to ensure that the paint will provide the best coverage and will be able to stick well to the surface. You can start by scraping away old, chipping paint, and scrubbing the walls until it’s smooth and spotless. You should also assess the quality of the surface. You can’t expect a good result if you’re painting on, say, rotting wood.
Refusing to use painter’s tape
Painter’s tape is essential to the paint job as it ensures crisp edges and a professional-looking result. If you want your walls to look perfect, take the time to apply painter’s tape around the perimeter of the surface. Avoid using other types of tape like masking tape. Doing so will only result in low-quality, messy results. When you do use painter’s tape, make sure that it’s applied straight and sealed very tightly along the surface. Plus, you should only remove it once the paint dries completely.
Skipping primer
Along with painter’s tape, another thing you should not forego is primer. It helps prepare the surface for the paint and ensures that the coat sticks easily and evenly, resulting in a beautiful, flawless finish. It also helps the true color of your paint to shine through. While there’s paint that comes in a two-in-one paint and primer, it’s only applicable to a surface that has already been painted in the past. For brand new surfaces, using a traditional primer is the best way to go.
Using poor-quality brushes
The result of your painting project will only be as good as the tools you use when applying paint. No matter your skill level, you should use high-quality brushes to produce great results. They apply better and quicker and won’t leave brush bristles to the wall. For latex, synthetic bristles are recommended. For oil-based paint, you should opt for natural bristles.
Conclusion
If you avoid the common mistakes listed above, you can expect beautiful results. But of course, it would be better if you entrust the paint job to a professional for a guaranteed high-quality paint job. Should you need a professional house painter in San Diego to help you with your painting needs, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.