Help Me How To..: Paint like Pro - Repaint a Room

Painting An Interior Room

Release : 30 September 2010

Field : Home Handyman

Focus : Preparatory Painting Tips

4. Fillers and Cleaners

Getting paint to stick requires a clean surface. Sugar Soap is the best cleaning agent prior to painting. This is especially important in rooms where a greasy film has built up over time, like the kitchen or a smoking room.

The other opportunity repainting a wall offers is to fill and patch any old holes where pictures were once hung or where chips have flaked off the wall.

Fine filler can be used to fill shallow surface dents and a heavy filler or deep-crack filler can be used to fill holes from rowel plugs, nails or damaged areas like where a door handle has banged into the wall behind it.

While there are a plethitude of specialised fillers, often the most basic and cheap work well prior to painting.

One of the best multipurpose fillers is bought as a powder that you add water to. It really is not hard to mix a thick paste in a small container and apply it to the wall with a spatula.

Ready made fillers in a tube are handy but tend to be ten times the cost for little added benefit.

One exception to using cheap fillers is where fine cracks and chips need to be filled. A fine epoxy based filler will hold fast in even the smallest crack and can be easily sanded smooth once dry.

For a weekend project, Saturday should be used to clear out the room, fill the holes and wash down the walls. This allows overnight drying for a fresh start come Sunday.

5. Drop Sheets

Naturally cotton or canvas drop sheets are the most long lasting but if you're not likely to need them again once the job is done then newspaper or plastic drop sheets are the way to go.

Newspaper can be really frustrating to use as a drop sheet unless you stick the sheets together with small tabs of masking tape.

Plastic drop sheets can be either very thin, single use items or made from thicker more durable plastic. The difference is much like that between cheap rubbish bags and the super tough heavy duty Glad (tm) bags. You get what you pay for.

Thin drop sheets go for under a couple of bucks and heavier plastic sheets are closer to the ten dollar mark. The thicker sheets are easier to work with, don't tear as easily and are easier to work with.

I'd recommend the thinner sheets to cover furniture that is going to stay in the room your painting and a thicker sheet to put under foot to catch the drips.

TIP: Stick newspaper sheets together with small tabs of masking to use as a drop sheet.

TIP: For carpeted areas always use a thick plastic drop sheet, old rug or blanket.

6. Stirrers

All paint should be stirred prior to painting, especially paint you've just had tinted and shaken by the machine. Over time all paint will settle and you need to stir the lumps out and make sure it is all a nice smooth consistency.

A flat wooden paddle is generally the best paint stirrer. One of the best stirrers I've ever found is a wooden fork.

You know the kind you can get from the discount store that goes with a wooden spoon and a wooden egg-flip? Well, these cheap and nasty kitchen utensils make great paint stirrers.

TIP: Don't use a stick from the garden to stir your paint.

7. Bucket and Cleaning Cloths

Preventative action is best but it is inevitable you will have to clean up a few spills and splashes here and there.

You should have a bucket and a few cleaning clothes on hand when you painting.

Cotton cloth is great for a streak free finish on glass but for mopping up paint an open weave cloth is usually best.

My first choice are Chux Super wipes because they're disposable, have an open weave and as well as mopping up paint splashes also stand up to a bit of elbow grease; they don't fall apart the first time you wring them out.

Article continues, click here to read Part 3