Painting a room can be a difficult and time-consuming task, and to achieve professional results it requires preparation and planning. Use these painting tips to speed up and simplify the process.
Before painting, degrease the surface. Grease and grime will interfere with paint adhesion; to effectively cut through this grease use a degreaser like TSP to get through this layer of grease.
Tipping painting company employees could cause tax issues for them; to avoid this hassle, try purchasing them food and water to help get through their workday.
Wear Painter’s Tape
Painters Melbourne use this time-tested trick to ensure clean lines and an impeccable finish, as well as do-it-yourselfers looking to achieve more professional-looking results than they would with regular masking tape alone.
When purchasing painters tape, make sure it has been specially formulated to peel away gently without leaving behind sticky residue on walls and trim. Furthermore, ensure you purchase enough tape of appropriate size: 1.5-inch tape can work great for window and door trim applications while 1-inch tape works better on baseboards.
No tipping is expected or necessary; however, a cash tip can go a long way toward showing your appreciation of their hard work. Other ways include offering snacks as tokens of your thanks or being available as a reference should they ever require new customers for their services; this will help expand their business while simultaneously building trust between themselves and potential clients. You could even write them glowing online reviews!
Use Quick-Drying Spackle
As paint won’t adhere well to wet spackling, it is imperative that quick-drying spackle is used during painting projects. Humidity levels, thickness of spackle applied and size can all have an effect on how long it takes for it to fully set. If unsure whether your spackle has set completely or not, consider purchasing “dry time indicator” spackle which changes color when ready for sanding and painting.
Dehumidifiers and fans can help remove moisture from the air and speed up spackle drying time. Fans also help circulate air to speed up this process if using hot air dryers; fans should be directed toward where you spackled; otherwise try heating up your working space as warm air speeds up drying processes for drywall mud, wood filler or joint compound applications as well.
Cover Your Floors & Furniture
Painting will certainly enhance your house, but painting also leaves behind drips and splatters that could potentially harm floors and furniture if done without protection from beginning the project. Therefore, it’s wise to cover these surfaces prior to embarking on any painting venture.
Professional painters use drop cloths to protect surfaces they aren’t painting, preventing accidental wet paint splatter on carpeting or rugs and helping control dust generated during their project. Drop cloths also help decrease dust generation during this process.
Canvas should always be chosen as the better material for use as a painter’s drop cloth, since plastic tends to be slippery and allow paint splatters and spills through onto floors beneath it. Canvas provides much thicker protection, without becoming slippery due to spills and drips leaking through onto its surface.
Keep blanket paper handy as well, to cover tops of any stationary furniture and protect them from the inevitable paint splatters and drips on walls during application of wall-covering products. This will protect these pieces of furniture against being covered in unwanted splatters and drips of color applied directly by workers.
Cover Your Doorknobs
Doorknobs can often go neglected in homes, so an easy way to upgrade them is painting them a color that complements your door or room and helps bring everything together. Choosing something in keeping with its environment may also add visual interest and tie the space together more successfully.
Keep in mind when painting doorknobs that it is best to remove them from their mounting and prepare them prior to painting – this will prevent paint dripping down onto hardware that could potentially cause irreparable damage.
Unscrewing the knobs from their “roses,” or plate that holds them, allows for better cleaning of doorknobs as well as applying a coat of primer designed for metal surfaces. Different primers dry at different rates so follow manufacturer recommendations regarding drying time before spray painting your doorknobs with spray paint. There are even paint options that include both primer and spray paint in one can for added convenience.