Preparation Before Painting Saves Time And Aggravation In the Long Run

Adding a new coat of paint is a great way to make a room look wonderful, fresh and clean. Painting the interior walls in your home is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to change the appearance of a room or rooms, add warmth, personality and style in a cost effective way. When it is time to decorate, many people find choosing paint colors an overwhelming task and challenge, partly due to the huge amount of color choices available. Before collecting paint chips and selecting the colors, it is important to develop an overall color scheme for the room, getting ideas from the fabrics, wallpaper, furniture, and rugs. Put together a book or file with decorating samples of wallpaper, tile, trim, carpet and fabric in the room you are going to paint. Take this with your while selecting color strips, paint and even accessories for the room. Remember that your paint color is the cheapest and easiest room decor element to change. Study the colors, choose a color selection, such as the background color off a print fabric or picture in the room, and use the brighter or deeper tones as accent colors. When it comes to trim, such as the moldings, windows and doors, an off white or shade of white works well with almost any color selection although some people prefer a paler shade of wall color. Homeowners feeling brave could choose bright colors or dank tones for a striking look.

Preparation is extremely important when it comes to painting and can make a project less stressful and easier. A cluttered room is very difficult to paint in, adds stress and is often a recipe for disaster. Start clearing the room by removing all the small pieces of furniture, curtains, curtain rods, light switch and outlet covers, pictures, knickknacks, and home décor. Once you remove everything other than the large furniture, place it in the center of the room and cover with plastic drop clothes or sheeting. It is important to clean the room, which begins with vacuuming the carpet and then using a damp cloth, wipe down the walls, woodwork and baseboards. Put plastic sheeting down over the floor or carpet.

As much as most people would prefer to skip washing the walls before painting, it is very important to remove any dirt, cigarette smoke and other dust so the paint adheres properly. A sponge-headed mop and bucket of warm water and dish soap does an excellent cleaning job but be sure to rinse thoroughly afterward. Patch any small nicks, nail holes and hairline cracks using spackling compound and a putty knife. Fill the holes with spackle and allow drying for several hours before sanding the repairs, making them flush against the wall. Use primer on the spackled areas and on the walls if necessary. Some people believe that preparing the room for painting is the hardest, most time-consuming part but it makes the actual painting go quickly. It is now time to get your paint out and start the easy part, the actual painting.