House Painting DIY? From Beginner to Professional in 10 Steps
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House painting is a popular job among builders and renovators. But just because you get started with paint and brush yourself, doesn’t mean you always do better. Leave nothing to chance with these ten ultimate tips from our house painting expert.
Preparation determines success or failure
70% of the result depends on good preparation. Take enough time to get to know your walls and ceilings .
1. Don’t start too soon
Is your new home not furnished yet? Then you can quickly start painting. But are your walls and ceilings ready for this? How long should you dry plaster? We assume 1 mm per week. For 2 cm of plaster that is therefore 20 weeks of waiting time. After this, you can get started. But do not forget that your construction is still ‘setting’. And that there are probably still cracks here and there. your plaster showing up.
Get started with your primer
Do you want to start quickly? Many decoration stores lend moisture meters to check whether your walls are dry enough. If that is the case? Then apply a primer layer. This way you already have a good idea of the end result. Leave the primer for a year and then finish everything.
2. New walls
The finish of your walls and ceilings determines everything. For fresh plaster or new drywall you need a primer. It ensures that the surface absorbs the paint well and forms the bridge between the plaster and the final finishing layer. Without a primer, there is a good chance that your paint will not adhere enough.
Is the wall ready to paint? Do the test first
A paint-ready wall is a porous wall. This is often a problem in new-build homes. The plasterer does his best to get the surface as smooth as possible. Afterward you have to sand lightly to allow the paint to adhere properly.
A handy remedy to test this yourself: spray a little water on the corners of your walls. Does the water soak into the subsurface within eight seconds? Perfect! Only after twelve seconds? Then it is best to apply a fixative. Does it take longer than twelve seconds? Start sanding.
3. Older walls? Make sure they are clean enough
Have you bought a house and everything has already been painted? Then you usually don’t need a primer anymore. A coat of finish is sufficient here. Whether plaster or drywall.
The exception to the rule: dirty walls after frequent smoking, soot or water damage. You need an insulating primer, otherwise, sooner or later dirty circles will appear.
Ammonia test
Check yourself whether your walls are dirty. Put some ammonia in a bucket with lukewarm water. Rub a piece of wall with a sponge and wring it out a few times in the bucket. Does your water turn yellow? Then it’s best to buy an insulating primer.
Do not clean old walls with ammonia, but with a neutral all-purpose cleaner. Ammonia leaves residues. You rinse with water. Change the water in the bucket regularly.
4. Use the correct masking tape
Good masking tape is worth its weight in gold. But which one do you choose? A cheap tape can cause problem: The paint can still go under it and the glue is often too strong. If you peel off the tape, paint may come off your wall or ceiling. Pay extra attention to windows and doors.
How do you recognize the better tapes? The well-known green crepe tapes are good for covering your floor or window once. For specific painting projects, it is best to inquire about custom tapes. The blue tapes give a tighter and more beautiful end result, but are a bit more expensive.
Get advice
Gathering correct information is crucial. Some decoration or paint shops provide free advice at home. Not only about the paint that you use best, but also about which color combinations fit into your interior. Or about which masking tapes to use.
5. Apply enough layers
How many coats of paint do you need? That depends on the product and the color. For light tones, two layers are usually sufficient. If you go for bright white, you need three layers. Same for bright and dark colors.
In addition, it is sometimes better to apply two layers of primer and one layer of finish than the other way around. Your primer adheres a lot better and is now available in the color of your finishing layer.
6. Provide the perfect paint climate
Drying in the summer or earlier in the winter? Is there ventilation or heating in the house? Then it doesn’t matter much. If that is not the case, for example during a major renovation, two things are important: the temperature and the humidity.
Indoors it should be at least 10°C, ideally 17 to 18°C. The humidity is best between 60 and 70%. If the humidity is too low, your paint dries too quickly. If it is too high, your paint will remain too long wet.
Make your home paint proof
Is it damp outside? Keep your windows closed until you’re ready. Especially with water-based paint. With solvent-based paint (with white spirit, ed.) it is best to ventilate the room every now and then. Even on very hot days, keep everything closed so that you can paint doesn’t dry too quickly.
Tip: do you get a dry mouth while house painting? It’s about time to increase the humidity. Just fill a few buckets with warm water and put them in the room where you are working.
Now it’s time to paint
Here is the fun part starts. Time to practice your painting skills!
7. Use the appropriate material
Use a paintbrush for small areas and corners. A roll for larger areas. For water-based products, you use a synthetic brush. For solvent-based paints, you work with a bristle brush. For walls, you usually use 18 cm wide rolls. For typical wall paints, the appropriate hair length is between 9 and 13 mm, depending on the roll.
Tips to keep in mind
- New paint roller? Put them through the water the first time and roll out all the water again. The hairs stand straight on both sides. As a result, the paint accumulates at the edges and you get streaks. To avoid this, cut the hairs diagonally on the sides.
- Paint on a piece of cardboard the first time. This way, no loose hairs end up on your wall.
8. Use all the paint in the pot
The paint pot states how many square meters you can cover with the contents. There is a good reason for this: Do you have paint left over? Then your paint layer is probably too thin and the end result is not optimal. So measure the surface of your walls and ceilings well in advance.
9. Use the right technique
A perfect end result, without streaks, smudges or unwanted color shades? Work in three steps: apply, distribute and unroll.
- Start with the paint brush. First, paint a few inches wide in the corners. And around the outlets and lighting buttons in the places where you’re going to roll. Remove the covers first. Never smooth the entire space with the brush, but only where you have to work with the roller at that moment.
- Continue with the paint roller. Work in 1 square meter squares. Work away from the light. This way, any irregularities are less noticeable. If your window is on the left, start in the top left corner, followed by the bottom left corner. Slide up to the right, each time from top to bottom. Never brush paint over a dried piece. This way you avoid streaks.
- Run your paint roller through the paint tray until it is saturated and apply a line of paint from left to right. Do this three times per square, alternating direction (the first line is drawn from your left to right, the second from right to left and the third line again from left to right. After this, spread the paint over the entire surface, using both vertical and horizontal strips.
- Is your craft completely covered in paint? Then it’s time to roll off. Make a final, smooth rolling motion, again away from the light.
It’s a wrap! Don’t forget to clean up
Your paint rollers and brushes will easily last for years. If you take good care of your equipment, of course.
10. Soak your brush overnight
Are you ready? Scrape most of the paint off your brush or roller with a putty knife. Then put everything in a pot of water overnight. Clean the next day with water. Soap is useless.