Painting a room is a drawn-out process. It takes time and commitment as you not only have to paint the room but prepare it for painting as well. Prepping a room for paint may seem tedious, but it’ll save you a lot of headaches and mishaps further down the line. If you’re not sure where to start, then look over our step-by-step guide to prepping a room for paint.
Step 1: Clear the room
Any furniture or wall decoration/accessories should be taken out of the room and stored somewhere else. For big and heavy furniture that’s difficult to move, cover it in plastic to protect it from any paint splatters and then move it to the center of the room. Wall accessories like outlet or vent covers should also be taken off and stored somewhere safe. If they have screws, then tape the screws to the covers so they don’t get lost.
Step 2: Clean the walls
A clean wall is a happy wall. It also happens to be easier to paint, so take a damp cloth and wipe the baseboards, then take a duster and get rid of any cobwebs that have built up in the corners. Finally, get some mild detergent and wash the walls, rinsing away any residue and allowing it to dry thoroughly once you’re done.
Step 3: Fill in cracks, holes, and imperfections
Take a good look at your walls. Chances are, they have some imperfections. It could range from nail holes to large cracks, but either way, you should fix them before repainting your walls. For minor damage, simple spackle will do, but for bigger problems, you’ll need to place a mesh patch over the hole before applying and sanding the spackle.
Step 4: Fill in gaps with paintable caulk
For gaps between the woodwork and walls, you should use caulk instead of spackle, specifically paintable caulk, as you will be painting over it. Use your finger to smooth it out, and then keep a damp rag on hand to clean away and excess caulk.
Step 5: Tape and protect
Unless you have a perfectly steady hand, you should tape any areas of the wall you don’t want to paint, such as trim, fireplace mantels, or coverless electrical switches, in order to prevent paint from getting on them. Use wide strips of painter’s tape and then press them firmly onto the surface with your fingers, sealing tape edges to prevent paint from getting underneath.
Step 6: Cover the floor
Just as you should protect your windows and fireplaces from paint, you should also protect your floor. To do this, put a leak-proof drop cloth over your floor, ensuring it’s large enough to cover the area, and a little more. If you want, you can put small, but heavy, items in the corner to make sure it doesn’t slip and slide around.
Step 7: Set up a work station
Setting up a designated area inside to room to put all of your paint and supplies will make your life much easier. You can put your supplies on the floor if you’d like (as long as you have a drop cloth), but it’s probably easier to use a sturdy table instead. You could use an old table that you no longer use, or you could cover a newer one with plastic to ensure it stays protected.
Step 8: Get painting!
If you’ve followed the other seven steps, then congratulations! You’re ready to get painting. But painting can be a difficult chore, especially for the inexperienced painter. So if you’re planning on painting a room in your home or business, consider calling Richard Stewart Painting for some help at 1-818-951-1181 today!
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