Home Practical Improvements

Your room needs painting, but hiring a painter will affect your tight budget. Try this do-it-yourself idea.

Preparation

o Relocate stuff to another room. Move furniture to center of room and cover with drop cloth.

o Sandpaper blemishes and surfacing compounds.

o Fill cracks and gaps with caulk; hammer flat nailheads and cover them up with spackle (available in hardware stores).

o Cover moldings, casings, and switch plates with quick-release tape. Since you are an amateur painter your hands may not be as steady as the average painter.

o Cover floor and baseboard with old newspapers. A drop cloth may be tucked under the paper for extra layer of protection.

o Sweep floor to reduce dust in the air and prevent it from sticking into wet paint.

o Open windows and turn on electric fans for a well-ventilated work area. You may wear goggles or mask to prevent eye and lung irritation.

Painting Techniques

o Use a 21/4 or 3-inch brush to online walls and ceilings (a technique known as “cutting in”) and extension roller to fill in.

o Dampen brush slightly with water (if latex paint is used). Remove excess liquid.

o Load dampened brush by dipping 1/3 of its bristle into paint, lift in, and gently tap (not wipe) it against paint can’s rim.

o Paint ceilings before walls. Textured ceilings will probably require a sprayer. Paint ceiling widthwise rather than lengthwise.

o Paint walls in an up-and down motion. A “W” style may also be preferred.

o Paint areas not reached by roller (e.g. corners) by holding the brush as you would a pencil.

o For rollers, dip roller in tray full of paint then roll it up against tray until saturated.

o Roll paint on the wall in long wall-to-ceiling strokes. Overlap areas that are still wet to prevent brush marks.

Note: When painting windows, don’t worry about getting paint on glass. Just let the paint dry enough to touch (not overnight), then cut dry paint with utility knife near window wood framework, and scrape it off with a painter’s tool, razor blade, or putty knife. Peel quick-release tape as soon as painting is over, then wipe off smears that are still wet.

Cleaning Up

o Remove paint by drawing a brush comb or wire brush through bristles, then brush bristles back and forth across a newspaper.

o If alkyd paint is used, immerse brush bristles in a jar of solvent, tilt handle to bend bristles back and forth till solvent becomes cloudy. Change solvent and repeat process until bristles are clean. Wash brush with dish soap and warm water.

o If latex paint is used, wash brush under running water, bending bristles back and forth in the palm of your hand. Always let the water runs from handle to bristles not the other way around.

o Use liquid soap to remove dark paint colors from brushes and rollers.

o Hang brushes to dry completely. Return to original cases or packages.