The weather guy/gal here in the northeast says it is Spring! Time to do some spring cleaning, and spruce up the colors in your house, apartment! Get out the paint, and rejuvenate your Spring mood! Save money and have a great looking wall, by preparing your wall before you paint.
If you are painting the ceiling, do that before painting the walls. Top down is best!
Remove all picture hangers, nails, electric plug and light switch covers. Wash down all surfaces with a damp clean sponge, or soft white cloth.
Kitchens and bathrooms need semi gloss, for easy cleaning. I prefer the old fashioned primer, rather than the 'all in one coat' primer. If you add a bit of the color you are going to paint, into the primer, it saves you from 'missing spots'. Still, I plan to paint two coats of color. Just my thing. I find that even when the lights are bright, and I am in a painting mood, I still might miss tiny spots here or there. I have never seen anyone who can paint perfectly, yet! Don't stress over the spots, and PLEASE don't go over the spots until your paint COMPLETELY dries! Painting over tacky paint is the pits! It ruins the job you have done! How do I know? I did it, when I first started painting walls, way back in the day!
Make sure you have an open window, and fresh air coming in. Even with the new paints, you should have fresh air.
Start your painting at the TOP! Ceiling first. After it dries completely (check temperature, and time on the can!) you move on to 'cutting in the edges'. Using a decent (not cheap) angled 2 inch brush, dip the brush into paint only about an inch. Place the brush 1/4inch to the edge, not directly on the line, and 'draw the brush into the edge'. The paint is almost pushed to the line, not placed on the line. Take your time with this! If you hit paint on the ceiling, remove with a damp cloth immediately, and if it leaves a shadow, don't retouch it until you are done, and everything is dry! Paint approximately 2 inches wide when you are doing your cutting in process. Cut in the corners, and wall edges, and baseboards. This is the most tedious part of painting, but it is well worth doing carefully.
Rollers come in many designs, so ask which one will work best for you particular wall texture. I like the 6pack Semi Smooth Economy pack, I found at Home Depot. They seem to hold the paint well, and roll smoothly.
Roll in a W or M pattern, covering a 2 foot square, approximately. Roll in both directions, to cover, and do not press to hard. When you 'hear' the roller, it usually needs a bit more paint. Work from the top of the wall, down. Do a wall in one painting session. Do not rest in the middle of a wall. If you do, you take the chance of having shadow lines. Allow the paint to dry overnight, check to see if you have missed any spots, and if you need another coat, go for it! (Tiny touch ups are possible with a quick roll over, if the spots are subtle.
You have saved yourself about $20 to $30 per hour by doing this job yourself!
Take you time, it is not a race. Work consistantly, but not hurried.
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