If you think that house painting a San Ramon room is an intimidating task, fret not. Painting is one of the best ways to give your room a fresh new look at a low cost. You can actually paint your room and obtain professional results, and you will find this easy to do if you consider the following procedures.
If you still don’t know where to start, it’s best that you look for essential information about proper room painting as well as painting tools. The Internet, for example, is a great source of information where you can find lots of step-by-step painting procedures and tips. The more you gain painting know-how’s, the more confident you will be that the results will end up good or even better. Decide on which color scheme you want to envision for your room. Browse sample books or yet again, the Internet for great room color suggestions.
Buy painting tools and supplies you need. It’s wise to buy the best quality paint that you can afford, or else you’ll end up applying double coating, which takes more time and effort. Then, prepare your room before you paint. It’s important that your room should have sufficient ventilation. To increase more air circulation, an electric fan may be needed.
Clear the room of all items. If you can’t clear some items or are unable to move them out (such as heavy furniture), just cover them with a drop cloth, since paint may be dripping downward. If possible, remove hardware installed in your room including doorknobs, door and window hinges, electrical outlets, switch covers, fixtures on the ceiling such as lights, etc. You can also cover them if you want to, or you find them impossible to remove.
For the electrical installations such as switches and sockets, use masking tape and plastic sheets to cover them. Really, it depends on your preference whether you want to either remove or cover them, but just remember that dripping paint on your room’s hardware is the last thing you’ll ever want to see.
Make your walls as smooth as possible. Get rid of those unnecessary bumps such as nail protrusions or old paint drips. Repair any damaged surfaces in your room like old paint that has started to peel off, or old nail depressions. Get rid of the dust as well as mold, mildew, and cobwebs. It’s recommended that you clean the walls, too, by giving them a good washing, scrubbing and rinsing. There are cleaning agents and disinfectants that are specifically made for house cleaning.
You can also prime your room when necessary, especially if you attempt to apply paint over non-paint surface such as metals, or unpainted wood. Treating such surfaces with primer gives durability to your paint, as well as added protection to the surface. Some good quality paints are specially treated with primer, which will definitely save time and effort.
When you’re done prepping your room, now you begin the actual painting part! It’s wise to read the paint can labels to determine how fast your paint will dry. This helps you know how long your painting will take, so you can make proper scheduling plans.
As you open the paint can, you should stir the paint well for better blending.
It’s best that you should paint from the top and paint down to the bottom. Start painting from the ceiling of your room and then to the walls. This enables you to see and to fix any dripping paint as you work.
Painting on the ceiling is the most challenging part, but if you have an extension pole for your painting rollers, the work will be much easier. It’s best to paint the corners and the edges first before you paint the whole ceiling. The trick there is that you should start painting the ceiling with an “M” or “W” pattern, and then continue re-painting horizontally. You should protect yourself with a hat, scarf or goggles as you paint the ceiling. Don’t fill your roller with too much paint.
For painting walls, have a lined tray so you can pour the paint in and clean up will be much easier. As with painting on the ceiling, you want to cover the corners and edges before you paint the entire wall. Brushes come in different shapes and sizes that are made for a specific type of painting. Wider hand brushes are good for painting larger expanses such as walls, while small and more narrow brushes are ideal for door and window frames. As much as possible, practice your painting with long, smooth strokes. This is the best method to prevent streaks and obvious paint marks.
Replace your old masking tape with new when necessary. When paint seeps onto the masking tape, address this error by using a small paintbrush and apply the appropriate paint color on that particular area. Accidental splattering is sometimes inevitable despite your careful efforts of covering and masking. Touch the splattered area with the right paint color. Be mindful not to splatter again.
Allow the paint to dry before you remove the masking tape and covers. Once the paint is dry, re-install the hardware back in your room. However, buying new hardware to match your new paint color is also recommended. Arrange or re-arrange the furniture and other room decor. Then your room makeover is done!
When you decide to paint the room yourself, it’s definitely a challenging task and even a risk. However, once you know how to prepare your room for painting, as well as how to paint it properly, you’ve gained another handy skill that you will definitely use in the future when you’re ready to do more house painting in San Ramon.
