Visual Tutorial
Check out the visual pictorial of these techniques in our Design Gallery under "6 Painting Techniques."
Don’t believe in prepping your walls? Think painting is just about...painting?
Think again, says paint consultant Paul Mutimear. When it comes to painting, he says, "prep work is like the cake and the paint is like the icing. If you don’t do the prep, it’s like putting icing directly on the plate!” Or, think of it this way: painting without prepping is like spreading a fresh layer of tar over bumps—if you don’t flatten the bumps first, you’ll end up with splotchy patches, bumpy surfaces and, eventually, cracking and peeling. According to all the pros small technical tweaks during prep and while painting can make a big difference in your final result. And one of the most important tricks has to do with lighting. Says Paul: “Shining a light, like a flash light or floor lamp, directly across the surface of the wall from the side, helps you see the damage and subsequent repair much more clearly.” Discover more ways to improve your final results below. .
PREPPING
Scraping
Peeling paint has to be scraped until it stops flaking off. If there appears to be no natural end to the separation of the paint from the surface underneath, score a line with a knife around it with a utility knife to create a break and give you an edge to spackle up to. (Spackle is another term for plaster.)
Before you spackle, make sure you prime the surface because primer allows for better adhesion to the wall than spackle does. The primer will seal the hole you created by scraping and give the surface a better foundation for the spackle to adhere to.
Spackling
Spackling is a term applied to the process of plastering or filling in holes or indentations in the wall surface prior to repainting. Typically one uses a combination of joint compound and plaster of Paris in varying mixtures, depending on the depth or thickness of application. Deeper holes need more plaster, which causes the material to set and not shrink. Final coat is normally joint compound alone as it is more easily sanded.
If using a pre-mixed filler or spackle, apply several thin coats instead of one thick coat of spackle because it dries much quicker and shrinkage will be less pronounced. When dry the repair should be sanded flush to the surrounding wall.
Sanding
According to federal law, all sanding must be done wet to minimize the creation of airborne dust particles. Do not dry sand paint or plaster. Sanding should be done with “wet and dry” paper used wet, or sanding sponge blocks used wet. This precaution helps you to avoid inhalation of dust, a potential cause of respiratory illnesses.
Spot Priming
Primer is a particular formulation of paint designed specifically for qualities of adhesion and sealing. It dries with a surface that provides a good base for adhesion of subsequent paint.This process is called spot priming because you are only priming the spots that have been repaired. This seals the new surface and makes the subsequent paint coverage even with the surrounding surface. Spot priming is best done with a small roller because it creates the same texture as the surrounding paint. Using a brush to spot-prime can create a smoother texture in that spot and thus cause it to be visible even after it has been recoated.
Masking
Masking with adhesive tape protects edges and other areas that are not intended to be painted and can be used to produce a clean, sharp edge. Because it as a lower level of adhesion that regular masking tape, blue painter’s tape is the preferred tape as it tends not to leave residue or pull existing paint off as it’s removed. If there are telephone or other cables stapled around edges of walls, it is usually easier to mask the moldings outside of the wire and paint the entire wall with the wires as this creates a clean straight edge between the two paint colors and tends to hide the unsightly wires.
Insider Tip: Why is painter’s masking tape almost always blue? The adhesive in the tape is more rapidly broken down by ultraviolet light; because the blue pigment in the backing paper of the tape reflects blue as well asmuch of the ultraviolet frequencies, it reduces this deteriorating effect and keeps the tape from leaving glue behind when you remove it..
PAINTING
Painting involves only two skills: Brushing and rolling.
Brushing
Hold the brush like a pencil not a hammer, which means delicately, as if you were drawing with it, not like you’re chopping wood! Use more wrist action than arm movement. And don’t overload the brush with paint—after each dip lightly scrape the brush on both sides on the side of the container to remove excess.
“Cutting In”
This is the process of using a brush to paint all the edges of a wall because the corners can’t be reached with a roller. Normally, you “cut in” these edges before painting the rest of the wall. Start by creating a sharp straight edge at the edge of the surface to be painted, and a feathered soft edge on the inside where the roller will subsequently cover it—that way, you won’t create a sharp edge in the area where you will use your roller.
Rolling
Dip your roller thoroughly in the paint so it gets fully saturated. To remove excess paint (so you don’t drip as you apply the roller to the wall) work the roller gently over the slope of the tray. Starting at one end of the wall, place the roller approximately three feet from the end of the wall in the middle of the height of the wall and roll it gently upwards and downwards in an approximate “W” formation (it can alternately be an “N” or “V”). This allows you to initially unload the roller over a larger area of wall. Then subsequently spread the paint to create an even coating. (If you don’t do this, too much paint will be applied in one spot and not enough in surrounding areas.) Paint the entire height of the wall in approximately three-foot widths, finishing each section with smooth continuous strokes from ceiling to floor.
Pro Tip: Make rolling easier? Invest in an extension pole that screws into the handle of the roller. This lets you pass the roller from the top of the wall to the bottom easily without moving a single step. And you’ll be able to create a more even and uniform finish with much less effort.
Painting the Trim
Trim is usually painted in a satin or semi-gloss paint to offset the wall color. Paint it last, after removing the tape. Take care to avoid getting the trim paint on the newly painted wall surface (If you let wall dry, you can actually tape the wall for a clean trim. Some people run a dry paint stick along the corner to create a tiny little groove that helps create a straight edge. Using your wrist, paint in a long smooth strokes, not short jerky ones.
Throwing a Paint Party?
Don’t drink and paint. Save the alcohol until afterwards. Climbing up ladders can be dangerous and you could accidentally knock over a can of paint. When you work with oil paint, there is something called spontaneous combustion-- rags with paint thinner thrown into a trash can spontaneously combust. The same thing can even happen on floor finishing with polyurethane—the floor can actually catch on fire.
For a visual tutorial of these techniques, check out "6 Painting Techniques" in our Gallery section