Over the years, walls naturally get dirty, and no matter how clean your home is, it always looks messy because of it. The only way to fix it is to repaint the walls and give them a fresh look. The easiest way is to call the repairman and pay him to do the work.
But what if you don’t have money to throw or you simply don’t want two days of foreign people walking around your house. Coloring walls by yourself has its advantages.
First of all, it’s cheaper. Dramatically cheaper. This means that you can invest more in better paint quality or some additional details that you want to buy for your home.
Besides, you do not have to start painting the whole apartment immediately. Instead, you can set up room-by-room steps to make cleaning and moving things easier.
And the last sweet benefit, if you do it with your partner, you can really have a good time in the whole process, let this be a joint mission.
Here are some suggestions on how to do a better job and how to make your job easier. Tips have been learned through the trial and error method over the years of wall painting.
1. Buy quality paint
This is really important because good paint can assure the wanted results. For, e.g., if your color is too transparent, it won’t hide the imperfections well, and you’ll have to apply more layers of it than usually needed. Often with good paint, one layer is sufficient. Talk to a shop expert and ask for advice on which color to choose. Tell him what your current background is and what you want to achieve. Don’t forget to buy good rollers and a ceiling painting extension.
2. Make a good preparation
This is a step I have often neglected, thinking that I would be moving things along the way. In reality, it turns out to be a lot more complicated, and you have significantly more to clean up afterward. Therefore, move things away from walls, furniture, and shelves. Then, remove all the pictures, cover what remains in the room so that it does not get dirty when you start painting. Also, and this is crucial, tape the protective band around the edges of doors, sockets, etc. and cover the floor. You will be grateful when you finish painting and simply remove the protection instead of cleaning the sprinkled paint. Trust me, however meticulous you may be, drops of color will be everywhere.
3. Start coloring from the angles
Experienced craftsmen start the job by first coating the corners and edges, then coating the wall while the paint in the corners is still wet. The best effect is achieved in pairs – one person paints the edges and corners, and the other wall. However, if you work alone, it is easier to set your pace wall by wall and process one at a time. So it won’t happen that the paint dries in one place before you finish it.
4. Give yourself plenty of time
Don’t set unrealistic deadlines when you want to get the job done. Remember, you are doing this to make your home more beautiful, and if you do a good job, you will enjoy it for years. There is nothing more irritating than the wall imperfections you have to look at every day. So take the time for your small venture, turn on the music, and be precise.
Tips for the end
If you have severe damage to the wall, do not get discouraged. For example, if you have too many layers of existing paint, you may need to scratch the surface first. Or, if you have irregularities, you need to sand them a bit or fill in the holes if they exist. You can do it all yourself with the addition of the material you need. Also, if you have moisture on the wall, buy the protection you need, scrape off the damage, and apply a protective coating to keep the home from new humidity.
And that’s it. After the work is done, you will be a little tired, but enjoying the newly refreshed home will make it all worthwhile.