There's nothing like a freshly painted wall to make your home feel new and fresh. Hiring professionals to do the job is the best even though you can do it yourself. With all the steps involved and all the many options available with the tools to be used and different kinds of paint products, it can get pretty overwhelming and you tend to make mistakes. But there's always room to correct your mistakes if acted quickly. Let's discuss a few of such mistakes to avoid.
Using wrong brushes
There are multiple brushes designed for different paint surfaces and different paint products. Using an incorrect brush for the paint product or surface can result in the paint not adhering to the surface properly or taking too much time than required.
Natural Bristle brushes are used for oil-based paint and Nylon/Polyester bristle brushes are best suited for latex/water-based paints.
Not preparing the surface prior to painting
Cleaning the surface to be painted and applying a coat of primer is the most important step for the paint to hold on to the surface. Painters should be mindful of this step as not doing so can result in the paint cracking or chipping too soon. This further results in the need to repaint the surface earlier than expected. For paint to last its lifetime, the surface should be prepped well.
Rotten timber should be replaced or repaired before the application of paint. Timber too like walls need to be prepped like sanding, applying primer-sealer undercoat.
Being careless when using a roller brush
Roller brushes are best used when painting large surfaces. They hold up paint well, spread evenly, and give a consistent paint finish. But they shed fibers when used for the first time. So using masking tape few times to remove loose fibers before painting helps. Use gentle motions to apply paint or else you may end up staining the ceiling or floor or skirtings. Roller brushes cannot be used on corners as they do not give clean straight finishes. Make sure the roller brush is covered away from the floor when not in use as it may pick dust or debris that may get onto the wall later while painting.
Get rid of the excess paint on the brush before cleaning it.
Not considering weather conditions
The lower the temperature the longer the paint takes to dry. The higher the temperature the quicker the paint dries without proper adhesion to the surface. Weather conditions should be optimum for the paint to dry and hold on to the surface. Painting on warm or hot surface results in bubble formation and crack in the paint. After washing and cleaning the wall, you should give the surface time to dry as painting on a wet(moist) surface ends in streaking. The best temperatures for painting are between 10C and 32C. Any temperature above and below the mentioned may make it difficult for painting.
Not using tapes for edges
One other mistake during painting corners or trims is not using painter's tape. Masking tape might sound enough but doesn't do an effective job. Always use painter's tape for clean and crisp lines. Masking tape leaves a residue behind when removed which makes it frustrating to clean the build-up later. Sometimes it happens that the paint may bleed through the tape or come off around the edges. Considering these issues using Painter's tape is the best choice.
Few other points to consider before painting
Paint the ceiling first to avoid bleeding and dripping onto the walls.
Move furniture away from the surface to be painted and cover them and the area with canvas or plastic sheets to avoid the risk of having paint marks and stains.
Have some leftover paint to do touch-ups later.
Keep the paint can covered always to not let it thicken and form a hard layer on top.
Clean up in the end.
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