Whether you are just trying to repair an old nail or screw hole in the wall or planning to completely repaint one or more rooms in your Pasadena, CA home, nothing makes your home look better than a new coat of paint. Chances are that if you don’t already have at least one set of paint covered clothes tucked away in a closet, you haven’t owned lived in your home very long.
One of the best ways to add both beauty and value to your home is to spruce it up with new paint. However, before you rush out and grab a handful of paint swatches, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The most important of these is that if the work is done well it can increase the value of your home. But, at the same time, if the work is not done well, such as runs, roller marks, and splatters, this can actually do more harm to the value of your home than leaving the old cracked and peeling paint in place.
Like most jobs, a truly successful and beautiful paint finish always starts with making sure you prepare for the job. Good preparation work takes a bit of time, but you will find the extra work truly pays off when you step back and look at the end result.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you have unrestricted access to the walls you are planning to paint. Move all furniture either to the middle of the room being painted or better yet remove it completely. If you have to leave the furniture in the room, cover it with plastic sheeting, old sheets, or old blankets.
Remove any fixtures or hardware from the walls. This includes outlet and light switch covers, wall=mounted lights, pictures, paintings, and mirrors. Essentially, you need bare walls to work with, be sure to remove all nails and screws and fill in the holes with spackling paste. Remove curtain rods and their mounting brackets. The idea is to ensure there are no obstacles left for your paint brushed and rollers to snag on.
Using blue painter’s tape, mask off the edge around the ceiling, door and window trims, baseboards, and anything else in your way that does not need to be painted. Next, take a damp sponge or cloth and wipe down the walls to remove dust, dirt, grime, and grease. This is a good time to inspect for nicks, dings, and holes that need to be filled. Once the spackle has dried, sand it lightly and apply a primer paint to these areas.
Once the primer has dried, the only thing left is to apply your finish color using top quality rollers and brushes. One last thing to keep in mind, you should use drop cloths to protect the carpet or flooring in the areas you are actively painting. If only one person is painting, you can use a single drop cloth and move it along with you.
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