Any tips for a first time home painting project?
I have never painted before in my life. The cost-saving is the major driver for this DIY project and I am actually very excited to do it myself. I am looking to paint the entire interior of our first home. I have about 3 weeks and a help who is equally or more inexperienced…
Where can I find some Paiting 101s?
I just painted the interior of my house, and there are some good places you can go for basic advice, like Lowe’s website, or Home Depot’s. My advice to you is to prep thoroughly- have all of your equipment ready and purchased ahead of time so you don’t have to make repeat runs to the paint store. You want to make sure your walls are fairly clean, with no really dirty spots- check behind the TV, it can be very dusty! Spackle then sand all nail holes or uneven areas. If the walls already have color on them, you may want to prime before you paint. You’ll get truer color and use less coats. Tape off any trim and windows using blue painter’s tape, not masking tape. Take your time with the prep, and your final result will look much better.
As far as the paint goes, measure your rooms and take the information to the paint store-they’ll help you figure out how much to buy. Generally, you’ll use flat or eggshell finishes on the walls, and I recommend egshell, it has a sheen to it and reflects light better, giving you a richer color. For trim, you’ll use a satin paint. If you’re having trouble choosing colors, Sherwin Williams has a great feature on their website that allows you to choose a room type, then “paint” the room, walls, trim, ceiling and all!
I hope this helps! Have fun, and good luck!
In the paint section of the hardware store, there are usually free paint how-to guides. If you don’t find them easily, ask at the paint counter. Interior painting isn’t really hard. Make sure you have all the tools you’ll need on hand, from TSP for washing the walls, to drop cloths, ladder, and good quality roller covers and brushes. A good paint counter clerk can also be helpful – that’s part of their job. Home Depot has free classes – they may have a painting 101 – check out their schedule in the store.
Test a section of one wall when you begin painting, to be sure you like the color. Colors can change quite a bit when they dry, and those tiny square chips are not a good way to determine what it will look like when the whole room is done!
The actual painting process (once you’ve prepped your walls) takes only about 1hour per coat (for an average sized room – 12X10). So, with 3 weeks, you should have more than enough time to complete your paint job!
Here’s Martha Stewart’s step-by-step video on painting:http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site…
Good for you! Get latex paint, some rollers, a couple paint trays, a couple of brushes for the corners and trim, some masking tape and drop cloths. Have fun! Remember if you don’t like it, it is easy enough to re do. One thing that really helps it go faster I think is an extension pole that screws into the end of the roller handle to get up high and just to give you better leverage.