At Elegant Look Painters, we are passionate about good painting jobs. At the same time, we understand that sometimes it is just not possible to hire a professional or it can be that you really want to do the job yourself as a project. While we cannot give you the experience (you can get that by filling out our online form or calling us for a free quote), we can give you a step-by-step detailed guide on how to paint your house yourself if you decide to do so. Ready?
Here’s what you’re going to need:
Paint
Drop Sheets
Masking tape for painters
Angled paint brush
Step ladder
Roller frame (roller width of 230 mm or 270 mm)
Nap (fabric) for the roller (Size is dependent on your wall structure)
Roller pole
Paint Tray (matching frame width)
Damp rag or sponge
Bucket of water
STEPS
STEP ONE
The first thing to do in any painting process is to ask yourself what colour palette suits the best. In determining this, it is helpful to consider colours of surrounding rooms, effect you want to achieve and the overall feel. You will need to decide on colour palette for walls, doors, trims and ceilings. It’s always good to get a second opinion, so head to paint store or give our friendly painters who are colour experts a call for a consultation.
STEP TWO
This is a tricky one. You should determine the quantity of paint you will need. As a rough guide, 1l of paint will cover 4m2. You should, however, keep in mind that different paints will be needed for ceiling, walls, trims, etc., so you should include this into your calculations. Professional painters are good at estimating how much paint a house will need by just looking at it, so you can call us for a free quote if you get stuck.
STEP THREE
When painting outside of the house or in a direct sun, paints tend to dry much quicker. Now, this can be a good thing and a bad thing. In any case, drying time indoors is longer and it is a good advice to open any windows in the room to improve ventilation and speed up drying time (and allow yourself to breathe).
STEP FOUR
Decide on a general strategy by choosing whether to paint one room at a time or by type of paint. Sometimes, it can be easier to do all ceilings in the house with a ceiling paint first, then switch to a wall paint next, etc., but this will depend on your specific circumstances. Either way, make sure to prepare all the walls first.
STEP FIVE
Protect all the furniture from dripping paint by placing drop sheets on floors, removing lightweight furniture and wrapping the items that can’t be removed. Don’t forget to wrap and tape pendant light fittings!
STEP SIX
Make a good use of painter’s masking tape and apply it to fittings and any trim edges that are difficult to paint around. This is an old painters’ trick for neat and tidy job on tricky surfaces.
STEP SEVEN
Adopt a correct painting sequence – it is highly recommended to paint from top down. This means starting with the ceilings, then the walls, and once these are completely dry (this is essential!), paint the doors, trims and window frames.
STEP EIGHT
Allow sufficient time for the paint to dry, both between the coats and the ceilings/walls/trims, etc. As outlined in previous steps, you can open all the windows and doors to improve ventilation and quicken up the process.