Summer is officially here and it is time to tackle much overdo home renovation projects – like painting the inside of your house. While many people opt for the professional painter route, there is a large number of weekend warriors who love the thought of giving it the old college try and tackling the project themselves. If you fall into the latter category, here are a few tips to help you take on this task and get professional results. If you are in the first category, skip on down to the last point and make sure you protect your belongings while your house is being painted.
Invest in Quality Tools
Before you even begin your painting project, make sure to gather all of the essential tools. Investing in quality tools is an absolute necessity to ensure a professional finish to your project.
One of the most overlooked, and most important tools, is the paintbrush. Not any paintbrush will do for painting on a large scale – choose a variety of straight and angled brushes as well as larger and smaller brushes for hard to reach locations like corners. Additionally, you will want to make sure you have plenty of paint stirring sticks, paint thinner, rags, coveralls to protect your clothing, and painters tape.
Tape It Off
This is definitely a step you do not want to cut corners on. Taping off items you do not want to get paint on makes clean up a breeze and protects your home from additional work if an accident were to occur and paint gets in places paint shouldn’t be – like on light switches and windows. Blue painters tape is easy to use and peels off really easy as well. It will not leave a sticky residue like other types of tape will.
Things you will want to tape off include:
- Window sills
- Curtain hardware
- Baseboards
- Light fixtures
- Light switches
- Air Vents
- Or any other items fixed to the walls
Additionally, you will want to make sure to cover your floors with a protective layer of plastic or other material like canvas. This will help protect your carpet or flooring in case a spill occurs.
Post-Painting Care
Once you have completed your painting project, you will want to take a few extra steps to protect your newly painted walls. The first step is always making sure your walls are completely dry before bringing your furniture back into the room. Moving your belongings back into the room before the paint is dry can result in mishaps like paint getting on your furniture or damage to the walls requiring touch-ups. Let the paint dry for several days to also allow the vapors in the air to dissipate.
Additionally, you will want to make sure to install door stoppers to prevent door handles from hitting the wall and nicking your freshly painted walls. To make them blend in more with the wall, you can apply a few layers of your wall paint over the stoppers and let dry before attaching to the wall.
Storing Your Belongings
One last aspect to consider before tackling any big home renovation project like painting is storing your belongings in a safe space during the process. Keeping the room free of clutter is vital to making sure your painting project moves along smoothly. At Fox Moving and Storage Atlanta we have the best solutions to keep your items safe and secure while you are making changes to your home. To learn more about our storage solutions, click here.