Home Painting 10 Top Painting Tips For a Professional Looking Finish

Painting a house can be rewarding. It’s not enough to just slap on some paint. You need to know how to prepare the surface and use a few tricks of trade.

Here are 10 painting tips to help you get the best results!

1. Prepare the Surface

Surface preparation is a critical step in achieving a durable finish. Here are a few surface preparation tips:

  1. Use organic solvents like sugar soap to decontaminate surfaces
  2. Remove loose paint with a hand tool
  3. Remove dirt and grime by rinsing the surface with clean water
  4. Power washing is a great way to remove loose paint, dirt and mildew from exterior surfaces.
  5. Rinse thoroughly after using a bleach solution on any mouldy or mildewed areas. Fill in cracks and damaged areas using an exterior grade filler. Sand the surface smooth after it has dried.
  6. Use plastic sheets or drop cloths as a protective layer for your furniture, flooring or lawn

2. Prime the Surface

Prime interior and exterior wall surfaces to achieve a long-lasting, smooth finish.

Interior Walls
Select a primer of high quality that is suitable for the wall material you will be painting and the paint type. Use a roller to apply the primer evenly, covering all surfaces including corners and edges. 

Exterior Walls

Select an exterior primer with weather resistance that is suitable for your wall material, whether it’s masonry, metal, wood or other. Use a brush or roller to apply the primer, paying attention to corners and joints.

Allow the primer to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions, which is usually 24 to 48 hours before you apply your exterior paint. Priming your project properly will improve adhesion and durability of paint, as well as provide a uniform finished.

3. Select Quality Paints

It is essential to invest in top-quality paints if you want to achieve an outstanding paint job. It will also give you a beautiful finish and ensure that your walls are durable. It is helpful to calculate how much paint you need before you go shopping. Otherwise, you may end up buying too much.

Understanding Paint Types

You will have to decide whether you want oil-based or water-based paints when choosing new paint. The ease of use and cleaning of water-based paint (also known as latex) makes it popular. Water-based paint is quick to dry and has a mild odour.

Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are known for their smooth finish and resilience, but take longer to dry. They also have a strong odor. Wear rubber gloves when handling oil-based paints and stir the bucket thoroughly before applying.

4. Choose the Right Colours

Consider the entire scheme of the room when choosing the paint color. This includes the furniture, flooring and accessories.

You can also use paint colours to set the mood of a room. Tones of grey, off-white and blue create a modern and cool feel. Earthy greens, and shades of red, create a warm atmosphere.

Neutral colors are popular because they can be used to complement a wide range of styles and decor. Bold colors can bring a splash of personality into a room, but they should be used for feature walls.

The colour wheel can be used as a guide to mix and decide on a color scheme.

5. When is the Best Time to Paint?

It is surprising how important it is to choose the right weather for painting. Ideal conditions are warm and sunny, with windows and doors open. This will allow for a good ventilation and speed up the drying process.

The natural light also provides the best colour rendering while working.

Hire large industrial heaters or fans to keep the air moving and dry the paint if you can’t wait until the sun comes out.

6. Select the Right Painting Tool

Rollers

The painting roller is a very useful tool! There are many different sizes and shapes of rollers, some even with embossed designs. Rollers allow you to paint large areas faster than with a brush.

Adjustable Roller Extension Pole

This tool is great for painting hard-to reach surfaces like corners and edges. The roller extension pole allows you to reach high ceilings without getting paint on the surfaces.

Painter’s Tape

Painter’s Tape of a high-quality is ideal for preventing streaking. Use tape to cover specific areas, such as door frames and switches. Masking tape is a cheaper alternative.

Sanding Sponges

The sanding pad prepares the surface for painting and aids in the adhesion of the paint. A sanding pad will give you a smooth, even finish. Just make sure to use a wet cloth to wipe away any dust or debris before painting.

Putty Knife

You can use a putty blade to cover holes, cracks and other rough areas in walls. This tool will evenly spread the material in the seams and other imperfections to give your wall a smooth, dry finish.

7. Select the Right Paintbrush

Paintbrushes are ideal for adding a unique texture or tidying up painted corners. This tool is great for covering smaller areas and offers greater flexibility when painting trims or cutting into the wet edge.

Synthetic Bristle Brushes: These brushes are ideal for water-based paints such as acrylic paints. They have nylon or polyester bristles. These brushes will not swell when wet and hold their shape.

  • Flat brushes: Create a powerful stroke to fill large spaces.
  • Round brushes: Ideal for line work and detailing.
  • Filbert brushes: A mixture between flat and round brushes, ideal for blending.

Natural Bristle Brushes These brushes are best for oil-based paints because they have soft, flexible bristles.

  • Stiff brushes: Ideal for pushing thick paints like acrylic paint around.
  • Soft brushes: Better to apply fine details.

8. Mastering Brushwork Techniques

Brushwork is more than just applying paint. It’s a skill that lets you express movement, texture and emotion through your art. Paintings will be enhanced by understanding both basic strokes and advanced techniques.

Basic Brush Strokes

It is important to become comfortable with the brush. Try experimenting with these:

  • Thin lines: Apply light pressure to the tip of your brush.
  • Thick Lines: Use more pressure on your brush or the side to create wider strokes.
  • Texture: Using a dry brush with minimal paint, drag lightly across the surface to create a texture.
  • Wet On Wet : Use a wet paintbrush to create soft edges by applying it over a layer of still-wet paint.

Advanced Paint Tips

After you have mastered the basics of SEO, try these advanced strategies.

  • Sgraffito: Use a palette knife, or the brush end to scratch into the paint. This will reveal the next layer.
  • Glazing: Apply thin layers of transparent paint over the top of each other to create depth and richness in colour.
  • Impasto: Paint thickly and leave visible brush or pallet knife marks to give texture.
  • Acrylic Paint: Use acrylic paints to dry brush, dab, or detail work

Tips for Aerosol Paint Application

This advanced technique is very popular for outdoor spaces. For example, you can use it to create a feature wall. Here are some of our best tips for aerosol spray painting:

  • Hold the spray can at a distance of 10 inches and keep it parallel to the surface.
  • Use drop cloths to protect walls from paint spillage and excess.
  • Spray the aerosol directly in the corner of the wall where two walls meet. This will ensure a uniform and even coating on both sides.

9. Protect your paint job

It is important to protect your work after all the effort you have put into it. This will ensure longevity and maintain the vibrancy of colours. The protection of your paintings is crucial. There are different sheens, such as satin, gloss and matte. The varnish will not only protect against dust and UV radiation, but it will also shade the appearance of your work. How to do it?

  • Select the right varnish: Water-based varnishes with a satin/gloss finish are suitable for acrylic paintings. Oil-based varnishes with matte/satin finishes are suitable for oil paint.
  • Apply thin layers: Use an even, wide-bristled paintbrush to avoid brush marks.

10. Storage and Cleaning-Up

Storage of Paints

Here’s a tip to help you dispose of or store unused paint properly.

Paint is expensive. If you plan to store it, seal the can tightly using its original lid. Make sure there are no gaps that allow air in. Store the paint can upside-down to create an airtight sealing around the lid.

Paint can spoil if it is exposed to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. Label the paint can with the colour and date for later reference.

How to Dispose of Paint

It is important to dispose of paint in a way that does not harm the environment. Don’t pour it down your drain! Check if the council in your area offers a program for paint recycling or disposal if you’ve been using acrylic paint. Many councils take part in Paintback programs, which accept leftover paint and cans of paint for proper disposal.

If there is no such program, let the paint dry completely in an area that has good ventilation. Then, dispose of the dried can and paint with the regular household waste.

Oil-based paint should be taken to a collection site for household hazardous waste or an event that is scheduled, because it contains dangerous chemicals and requires special handling.

It’s Time to Paint

If you feel a little overwhelmed by our tips, you can always call the pros. We will handle every aspect of your interior or exterior paint job from cleaning messes to preparing surfaces.

Our residential expert painters in West Auckland provide a variety of paint services.

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