Painting in the house is a job that everyone could do in principle. You just need to know how best to handle painting walls. For example, what do you do with mold stains or cracks? And what is the best way to paint so that it covers well? In this article you can read all kinds of tips about painting the walls in your home.
Checking the walls
Before painting it is best to first check the walls carefully for the following points:
- cracks and holes – first seal these with filler. It is better to apply too much so that some stick out sand than to apply too little. Filler shrinks so that the hole can be visible again.
- non-waterproof paint – can be checked by wiping a wet cloth and seeing if it runs. If it comes off, it is best to scrub all the paint off.
- fungal and nicotine stains – these will come back if you paint directly over them. It is best to treat mold with a fungus eater. The fungus eater does not need to be applied neatly as long as it is applied properly, then you can paint over it anyway. There is also special repair and / or insulating paint, after which the painting should go flawlessly. Insulating paint is not cheap, but otherwise you may have done all the paintwork for free when the stains come through the paint again.
- loose wallpaper – if a corner is loose you can fix it with wallpaper paste. Are there bumps in corners? Sometimes it is possible to cut these neatly open and glue them back on. If the wallpaper is really damaged too much, it is better to remove the wallpaper layer and / or re-wallpaper it before you continue painting.
- absorbent walls – this is a wall that absorbs moisture quickly. You can test this by putting water on the wall, if it is gone within 2 minutes then you have a absorbent wall. You will first have to treat this wall with a primer so that the paint will catch and the color will become more even.
- cleaning – keep all cobwebs, hair and debris away. This is to prevent it from ending up on your newly painted walls.
Cover and tape
Especially if you already live in the house, covering and masking is quite a job. If possible, it is best to move the furniture to another room. Then you not only prevent them from getting dirty, but they also do not get in the way during painting. It is better to remove outlets and light switches than to mask them. It is best, for example, to write a number with tape on each button / socket, also write on a sheet which should be where. In addition, you can put the tape on all light buttons on the tilt side in the way it is off. This will prevent you from having the switch on when you put the power back on. You can now turn off the power and actually get going. You can take off the buttons and sockets by simply inserting a flat screwdriver and pop them off like this. When this is done you can cover the remaining part with masking tape. Then you can cover the floor with tarpaulins and glue it down as well. Then don’t forget to tape the window frames and doorposts.
Dyeing
Paint is quite pricey, but there is also a very clear difference in quality. A more expensive paint often covers much better and smoother. With a cheaper paint you often have to go over the wall several times, which means that you end up losing more money. Stir the paint well before you start, then put it in a paint tray. Wipe your brush well and roll the roller out evenly to avoid splashes and color difference.
You can start with all the corners and edges along the taped areas. This is best done with a block brush. Then you can start with the walls with a paint roller. Do about 1 square meter and let the next block just overlap the previous one. Don’t go over a stretch too often. If it doesn’t work well, you better let it dry once and go over it again later.
It is best to remove the tape immediately after painting. If you let it sit for a long time, it will be difficult to loosen and glue residues can remain. These can be removed with benzene if necessary. Keep in mind that the paint can best dry for a day. Always try to paint on the day, then you will see streaks and irregularities more easily.