5 Tips for Performing the Perfect Paint Job

Sometimes, if you want a job done right, or at least affordably, you have to do it yourself. Fortunately, painting is one of the easier interior decorating jobs out there. Hiring a professional painter can certainly remove some of the stress and uncertainty, but with a little gumption and hard work, anyone can improve a room’s appearance with a new coat of paint. To help you get started, we share a selection of tricks for rolling out (or brushing) a new look on an old room. Learn these five tips for performing the perfect paint job.

Keep It Clean

Before you prepare the surface with primer, make sure the area is as clean as possible. Sweep and vacuum the floor. Dust the corners and gather up cobwebs with a rag. Also, you should spray and wash the walls and any other surfaces you intend to paint. A clean surface is a perfect canvas, preventing paint from gathering dust and grime, smudging, or falling away. A clean surface gives the paint more to grip as well. A simple solution of warm water and gentle soap works, but dry off the wall before you begin.

Roll Out the Tape

Nothing looks better than a paint job with sharply defined edges and corners. Painter’s tape provides a beautifully angular look when used properly and protects the floor and other surfaces from paint spatter. Ensure you’re using the right tape. Painter’s tape and masking tape look similar, but they’re very different. You need to be careful with masking tape and the finish of wood doors. It may remove it because of its stickiness.

Watch the Weather

You can paint almost any day of the year (at least indoors), but the absolute best time to paint is a warm, low-humidity day. Painting in high humidity runs the risk of experiencing more drips and longer drying times. Some latex paints experience a phenomenon known as surfactant leaching as well. Surfactants help latex paint last longer and spread easily. However, in the presence of humidity, surfactants rise from the paint, creating unsightly stains. Surfactant leaching is easy to wipe away, but you can avoid it by painting in less humid weather.

Stay Undercover

Here’s the fourth of our five tips for performing the perfect paint job. Cover everything you don’t want messed up. That should seem obvious, but many folks forget to remove furniture, spread a drop cloth, and tape off hardware like doorknobs and hinges before they paint. Avoid the agony of paint smear. Keep things covered!

Suit Up!

Don’t just cover your floors and furniture. Make sure you’re protected as well. You can wear old clothes, of course, but a disposable paint suit provides more effective overall protection. Wearing a baseball cap and safety glasses keeps paint out of your hair and eyes as well.