Interior painting tips
Paint is a very inexpensive way to spruce up the interior of any wall
quickly and easily if you know the right kind of paint you need and exactly
how much to buy.
Luckily with painting you get the tedious part of the job over with first...the
preparation work!
PREPARING WALLS FOR PAINT
If your walls have never been painted you will need to apply primer.
Unfinished drywall can soak up paint very quickly and applying a coat
of primer as a base coat can help protect your drywall, give you a smoother
finish and is less expensive than washable interior housepaint. You can
color tint your primer coat or leave it white.
If your walls have already been painted, use a paint scraper to remove
any loose or chipped old paint. You may want to sand the surface to provide
a smooth painting location. Fill any drywall holes with spackling compound
too.
Clean dirt off your painting surface. If you have young children that
have colored on the walls with marker or crayon you will want to stop
the stains from bleeding through to the new paint. Hardware and paint
stores carry stain blocking products you can spray or brush on.
PAINT CHOICES
Paint is available in thousands of colors and a variety of different
sheens. The sheen determines the brightness the paint will exhibit on
your walls or ceiling because the lower the sheen, the minimum amount
of light the paint will reflect. Minimum sheens can help reduce glare
and hide small surface imperfections but the sheen you choose can also
create more difficulty in cleaning and maintenance.
Flat paint is the lowest sheen available. It is often used on the ceiling
because it does not draw attention to the paint and does not require more
cleaning than an occasional removal of cobwebs.
Satin paints are also known as lo-luster or eggshell paints. They have
a slight sheen and are easier to wash than flat paint. They are a good
choice for hallways.
Semigloss paint is the perfect paint for children's rooms, kitchens and
bathrooms because of their durability. You can also purchase a specially
formulated paint additive to add to paint used in areas with high moisture
content to prevent mildew growth and formation.
Gloss and high-gloss paints, also known as enamel paint, dries very hard
with a high sheen. Doors are often finished with this paint to withstand
high traffic and dirty hands that require constant scrubbing and cleaning.
Its mirror-like sheen is also popular for woodwork and kitchen cabinets.
HOW MUCH PAINT WILL I NEED?
purchasing the right amount of paint that you need can save you time
and money in the long run. Measure once and then again to be absolutely
sure that your figures are right.
To estimate your ceiling paint multiply the length of the ceiling times
the width. This will give you the area.
LENGTH X WIDTH = AREA
Next, divide the area by 350 to determine how many gallons of paint you
will need. Where did we come up with the number 350? Most gallons of paint
will cover 350 square feet!
To estimate the wall paint needed, add together the length of each wall
then multiply the sum by the wall height.
LENGTH + WALL HEIGHT = AREA
You can even subtract 20 square feet for each door and 15 square feet
for each window in the room.
Divide the final figure by 350 as shown above to tell you the number of
gallons to purchase.
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