Preparing to Paint

Painting is easy with basic understanding of the process. Luckily, lead-base paints are no longer available; however, choosing between oil and acrylic based paint is time consuming. The real reward of painting a home is achieved through technique.

The main difference between oil and acrylic paints is the level of coverage. Oil-base paints have fuller coverage, yet they are difficult to remove it if it splatters. Mineral spirits strip oil-base paints off the floor and remove any others pigment. An advantage is the depth of coverage and ease of painting. Unlike acrylic paints, it is thick so brush strokes can be altered quickly. Texture is visible.

Acrylic-base paints are water soluble. Normal acrylic paint is denser than watercolors; therefore, it is mixed with latex. The latex adheres to the surface and it takes a long time to dry. Never slop acrylic paints onto a wall. The advantage is paint spots and mistakes are removed with a damp rag. Even after weeks and months, acrylic-base paint can be removed with rubbing alcohol; thereby, preserve wood floors or carpets.

Paint rollers are preferred with either type of paint. The dot pattern removes having to paint with the grain or artistic flair. In the video two basic techniques are utilized; painting in one stroke with the grain and a crosshatch achieved through a figure eight brush strokes. It is visible how color is darker on plain board as opposed to standard white.

This is confusing to people when selecting paint colors. The underlying color affects pigment. Adjust this by painting everything a similar color before painting. At least the hue and tone will be unified. The other option is to paint it over-and-over until the color is the same. Each layer is another stripe of color filling in the area; however, it takes longer to dry. Even after a couple of weeks, fresh paint can peel away like a vacuum fitted wrapper from the wall. For this reason people wait a minimum of ten days before replacing carpet after painting.

Prep the area when painting. Newspapers are inexpensive; however, large rolls of paper go on sale semi-frequently. Newspapers are as effective as a floor covering with masking tape; however, rolls of paper can be used as tarps to protect furniture. Tarps are inexpensive; whenever possible remove all furniture from the room.

Next remove hardware from the walls and tape ceiling fixtures. Everything in the video was removed and placed in a plastic bag. Face plates for light switches and electrical outlets should be removed. Do not touch electrical wires. Place a strip of masking tape over switches and outlet plug-ins. Remove any wall fixtures not meant to be painted, such as: bookshelves. Permanent fixtures are masked off with tape and paper. Unscrew any hanging light fixtures or fans and then tape sheets of paper around the top.

After all of this is done, it is easy to paint. People have different methods. When painting with a brush, I like pouring the paint into a disposable plastic cup. Edging tools are nice. Paint the corners first and fill in with the rollers or roll the paint on first and fill in edges with a paint brush. Remember to clean the brushes: mineral spirits for oil-based paints and soap for acrylic-based paints. Rollers are recyclable and disposable.

It takes about four hours for paint to dry to the touch. The second coat can be applied after two hours. It is possible to paint an entire room and move furniture back in one day. This requires planning, because masking off the area takes a lot of time. If wanting to paint in four days: removed faceplates; mask off as much as possible; clean the walls with TSP, and spackle any nail holes in advance. When ready to paint move furniture to the middle of the room; throw a tarp over it, and paint the room quickly.