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House Painting Danville: Proper Paint Prep and Cleanup Tips


House Painting Danville: Proper Paint Prep and Cleanup Tips

You know why a lot of houses have good painting jobs? It’s partly because of proper prepping before and cleaning up after house painting in Danville. While prepping and cleaning up may not sound like fun, these are the necessary steps to ensure that your painting job is proper, smooth, and done safely. Following the proper prepping and cleaning up tips will also guarantee you of the finish you desire.

If you’re going to paint a room in your home, follow these prepping procedures:

  1. Move out all furniture possible. For other furniture pieces that are too heavy or are bolted or fixed, it is best to cover them with drop cloths (canvas drop cloths are the most preferred) to keep paint from damaging them.
  2. Remove any fixtures, installations, or decorations like switch plates, doorknobs, outlet covers, picture frames, curtains, etc. If something may accidentally have paint drip or splash on it, remove it if possible.
  3. Use a painter’s tape to cover surfaces that you don’t want to paint like window frames, door frames, and baseboards.
  4. Wear safety gear like goggles, a face mask, and old clothes (preferably comfortable and not loose ones) in case of splatters.
  5. Clean the surface with a sponge and towel or vacuum cleaner. Remove anything that can impede the painting job such as cobwebs.
  6. If the surface has any peeling old paint, scrape it off using a large scraper. Then sand off the affected area to smoothen it.
  7. If the surface has any more flaws like cracks and nail grooves, apply spackling paste over the areas using the package directions. Use a putty knife to apply the paste onto the affected area. Let it dry completely. Once it has dried, be sure to sand off any dried paste with fine-grit sandpaper so the surface is smooth.
  8. Cover the surface with a good-quality primer. However, this is optional as a primer is not required for all surfaces. If you want your topcoat to adhere more firmly on the surface to give it a solid finish, primer is recommended. There are many kinds of primer available on the market: there is the regular primer for drywalls, a stain-blocking primer to avoid the old stains or paint from bleeding through the new paint, or a bonding primer to paint non-porous, “slick” surfaces like glazed tiles. After applying the primer, let it dry.

Once the primer is dry, you are now ready to paint! Make sure that you have the best quality tools you can afford: brushes, roller and roller covers, paint tray or better yet, a five-gallon bucket with a roller screen attached into it, extension poles for painting higher walls or step ladders. You will also want to purchase the best quality paint to fit your budget.

When you’re done painting, the next step is to clean up. Here are the following procedures:

  1. After painting the surface, gently remove the painter’s tape before the paint has any chance to dry. This will minimize the likelihood of removing the fresh paint with the tape. In case the paint has dried, use a utility knife or razor blade before removing the tape.
  2. Clean tools like paintbrushes or rollers to extend their useful life. Generally, cleaning tools and disposing of wastes used with latex paint are easier, less messy and less hazardous than cleaning and disposing of oil-based paint.
     
    For cleaning and disposing of materials being used with latex paints:

    • Clean the brushes and roller cover using soap and warm water. When cleaning the roller cover, pull it halfway from the frame and wash it with running warm water. You may use a paint comb or an old toothbrush in cleaning the bristles or the roller cover.
    • After washing, shake the brush and squeeze the roller cover to remove the extra water.
    • Hang the brushes upside down and allow them to dry.
    • Stand the roller cover on its end to dry. Lying the roller cover down will make it uneven when you’re ready to it again and may affect the quality of the finished project.
    • Clean other tools like paint trays and scrapers right away after the paint job to prevent the paint from drying on them.
    • When disposing of empty (or almost empty) latex paint cans, let the leftover paint air-dry until it becomes solid. Discard the dried, solidified paint but recycle the can with other metals.

    For cleaning and disposing of materials being used with oil-based paints:

    • Wear safety gear like gloves, goggles, and a face mask.
    • Lay down newspapers to protect the surface where you’re working.
    • Have three containers, and half-fill each of them with paint thinner (depending on how big or small the container is).
    • After completing the paint job, use a wire brush and comb out excess paint from the paintbrush before it has the chance to dry. It is easier to clean brushes when they’re not completely dried yet.
    • Dip the brush into the first container of paint thinner or mineral spirits. Soak it for about five minutes. While the brush is being soaked, wiggle it around a bit to remove some of the paint.
    • Press the brush against a paper towel to blot off the thinner.
    • Then dip the brush again into the second container to get rid more of the paint. Then blot the brush again by pressing it against a new paper towel.
    • Dip the brush into the third container to rinse it. The thinner should be clear this time, an indication that most of the paint has been removed from the brush. Once rinsed, dry the brush properly by shaking or beating the brush to remove leftover thinner.
    • To dispose of the paint thinner, contact your local hazardous waste disposal service to ensure that they will be discarded properly. Do also the same thing when discarding empty paint cans for oil-based paint.
  3. Roll in and fold the drop covers toward the middle of the room. Remove the drop cloths covering fixed or heavy furniture pieces.
  4. Once the paint on the surface is completely dried, re-install the outlet covers, doorknobs, and switch plates.
  5. Clean any debris left from the painting job. Put back and arrange the furniture once again. Enjoy your newly-painted room!

The painting part is clearly the most fun thing to do, while proper prepping and cleaning up are considered chores. But those chores are necessary to ensure a smooth and safe house painting in Danville. And when you look at your newly-painted room, you’ll realize that it was worth all the work.

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