5 Painting Mistakes to Avoid
When giving your property a paint makeover, there are a few things that can go wrong. We’ve put together a list of the top 5 painting mistakes to avoid and added some tips and tricks to ensure a successful improvement project.
1. Lack of Preparation
Preparing your walls or exterior for a fresh coat of paint is an essential aspect of achieving a professional result. Without proper preparation, your paint finish may be lumpy, patchy or runny.
Interior Paint Preparation
Before painting your interior, it is essential to thoroughly clean your walls.
One effective and inexpensive way to clean your walls is to use sugar soap, a sponge, and a bucket of water. Vinegar and water works well too. Make sure to wipe down the walls with clean water after you have cleaned them to remove any residue that may interfere with paint adherence. Allow the surface of the walls to dry completely before painting.
Any flaking or peeling paint must be sanded in order to achieve a smooth result.
Learn more about interior paint preparation here.
Exterior Paint Preparation
Preparing for an exterior paint job can be tricky. You’ll need to scrap off flaking paint, repair any cracks, remove mould and use sand paper to smooth out any blistering. The entire surface must then be cleaned, and allowed to dry completely.
Learn more about exterior paint preparation here.
Preparing for an exterior paint job requires specific equipment. In the end, it is may be cheaper, easier and more effective to give us a call.
2. Using the Wrong Equipment
The wrong equipment can leave you with a less than perfect finish. The right equipment really can make a world of difference.
The paintbrush or roller you need depends on the paint you choose. Latex paints require synthetic bristled paintbrushes and rollers. Oil-based paints require natural bristled paintbrushes. Price is also an indication of how effective the brush or roller will be. We recommend spending a bit extra for paintbrushes to ensure the best result possible.
3. Failure to Protect Your Floor and Furniture
Cover everything in plastic! Seriously. Paint can be incredibly difficult to remove from your furniture and floor, particularly oil-based paints. Be sure to tape the edges of your protective plastic or cloth.
If you do end up spilling paint onto your floor, there are ways to successfully remove it.
Find out about cleaning paint spills here.
4. Ignoring the Weather
If your allocated painting day turns out to be very humid, it’s wise to wait a day or two before getting started. Humidity can have a huge effect on water-based paint. High-levels of moisture in the air will cause paint to take much longer to dry, both inside and out.
5. Ineffectively Storing Leftover Paint
So, you have completed your paint job and it looks great. In a few months time, it’s likely you will see a few chips or scratches here and there, which you can touch up with leftover paint. That is, if it hasn’t dried up.
Using leftover paint can be frustrating if you’ve not stored it correctly. Storing paint tins upside down in a dry, cool environment can extend the life of your paint, so you can use it for touchups down the track.
Find out how to store and use leftover paint here.
If you don’t want to risk making any of these mistakes, the team at Kraudelt would be more than happy to paint your interior or exterior for you. Get in contact on 07 3829 5735 or send us an email.
