Interior painting – thinking about painting yourself? Don’t forget this!

homme-peint-mur-en-orange

Are you thinking about painting your condo, residential, or commercial building yourself? Here are a few helpful tips to get a result as good as the one of an experienced house painter.

Preparing the rooms before painting

Pièce d'une maison préparée pour être peinturée

First of all, painting your room efficiently asks for an adequate preparation. Start by removing or covering all the obstacles which could interfere with the process of the paint job, meaning all the furniture and objects that you don’t want to paint: electric sockets, electric panel, light fixtures, curtains, stores, and others. If you desire to paint trims and door frames, think about removing the doors to make the task easier.

Preparing the surfaces

Man cleaning wall surface before applying paint

To paint trims and molding at the bottom of your walls, it is generally preferable to wipe them with a damp cloth to get rid of dust. In the case of mildew, oily stains, finger prints or cigarette smoke, a thorough cleaning is a must. If you can see holes, you will need to fill them up properly. As for the bumps, they should be sanded down until you get a smooth final appearance after the paint.

Choosing the paint carefully

Pinceaux et pots de peinture de différentes couleurs

To determine the ideal product for your interior painting project, you must ask yourself a few questions. Here are the main ones:

  1. Would you say the sun enters the room a little, mildly or a lot? The more sun there is, the flater (no gloss) the paint should be to hide the surface imperfections.
  2. Is there a lot of traffic in this area trafic? For high-traffic areas, prefer a paint with the mention ‘’washable’’ or ‘’scrub-resistant’’ so the paint won’t fade during cleaning.
  3. Are you painting a bathroom, a laundry room or another damp area? Choose a mold-resistant paint to avoid bad surprises.
  4. What is the origin color of your surface? If it’s dark, choose paint that has the property to cover it well. Thus, you won’t need to apply to much coats.

Applying the primer and paint

Paint roll applying primer

The application of a primer is not always essential, especially on interior surfaces in good condition. When in doubt, ask an interior painting specialist for help. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on your product’s label, especially for optimal application temperatures and drying time required. Choose the recommended brush and roller for your product. To avoid demarcations, always start painting at one end of the wall amd move toward the other side.

Inspecting

Finition de peinture dans un cadre de porte

Inspection is a crucial step in any painting project. Even before picking up your things, review the whole job and make sure no corner was forgotten: the insides of wardrobes, door frames and window frames, etc. also verify there are no paint drippings. Do the necessary touch-ups as soon as possible to avoir demarcations.

Cleaning

Plaque murale électrique

Remove the protective cloths and, if needed, clean the paint droplets. Then, put back into place all the elements you have removed before you started painting (sockets, light fixtures, curtains, doors,) and finally, replace the furniture in the right spots.

Need an expert painter?

To obtain the best possible result without the fuss of doing it yourself, we suggest you to hire us. With over 21 years of experience, there is no doubt we already did projects similar to yours. We provide the paint, equipment, and supplies. You won’t have to do anything besides choosing the colors! Contact our team of painters for a free quote at 514-966-0966.

Dave Beaupré Maître-peintre