DIY Interior House Painting Tips for Homeowners

Interior house painting is one of the many ways to add a new feel to any room. Using interior house painting tips to freshen up your home is also one of the least expensive projects a homeowner can tackle. Whether you are painting a bedroom, living room, or kitchen, a quality paint job can make any room look and feel like it is new and updated even with the same furnishings and decor. Proper interior house painting techniques are essential and the preparation done prior to painting is the most important part of the paint job. The first interior painting tip is to gather all of your paint, brushes, tape, and any other supplies your project may require before you begin. Now is also a good time to consider using eco friendly paint. There are many environmentally friendly paints available today and this is a great way to be a little more green when updating your home.

1.Remove any furniture from the room that you can and place any remaining furniture in the middle of the room. Cover furniture and the floor with a drop cloth to protect it from any drips or splatter. Use masking tape or painter’s tape around windows, doors, and trim or molding.

2.If there is a smoke detector cover it with plastic or tape. Close any air vents and turn off the heat or air conditioning system to prepare for any sanding that may be needed.

3.Paint that is peeling, bubbling, or flaking should be scraped and sanded prior to applying new paint. If necessary sand to the bare surface and use drywall mud or hole filler to repair any imperfections or nail holes.

4.Use drywall compound or putty to fill or repair any holes or imperfections. Caulking may be used to fill large cracks.

5.Any damaged woodwork should be repaired with a hardening type wood filler or an epoxy filler. After the imperfections are repaired, the area can be sanded and ready for paint.

6.Wash the surfaces after sanding to remove any dirt, grease, or sanding dust. The surface must be clean and dry before painting.

7.Remove any wall plates for switches and outlets, it is a good idea to turn off the power when you do this to prevent accidental shock. Place a piece of tape over the switches and outlets to protect them from paint.

8.Any lighting fixtures should be covered with plastic or tape if the covers can’t be removed.

9.Gather your supplies and you are ready to start priming

Some surfaces are easier to paint than others. Glossy or smooth surfaces often show more imperfections and trying to change colors from dark to light can be very difficult. If you are dealing with either of these situations it is best to use a quality primer as your first interior house painting step. Here are some painting tips for hard to paint surfaces:

When painting light colors over dark colors, apply a high quality primer first, this will help hide the dark color and it means fewer coats of the new lighter color. You may also have the primer tinted to a color close to your final paint color to make it even easier to paint.

When you paint over glossy surfaces, primer is an absolute must. Paint will not adhere to a glossy surface. The paint can peel off and your hard work will be wasted. Applying a quality primer that is designed to adhere to glossy surfaces will make your new paint stick and prevent new paint from peeling.

If you will be painting a porous surface like fresh drywall, the drywall will absorb paint quickly and unevenly. Applying primer here will ensure your paint goes on smooth and even giving you a consistent color throughout the room. Tinted primer can be a time saver here as it will be easier to achieve one coat coverage if the primer is tinted close to the final pain color.

When trying to cover stains like ink, crayons, or water stains, which are almost impossible to hide with paint alone, using a primer will cover these and help you achieve one coat coverage with the paint.

The bottom line here is, that before painting, 90% of the time it is best to use a quality primer. The initial preparations and the use of a good primer that is tinted close to the color of your paint will leave you with best overall result and the paint job will last much longer.

Now it is time to start the final stage of your interior house painting project. This will be by far the easiest part of your project. The first thing you are going to do is “cut in”. This is a technique of using a brush to go around all of the windows, doors, trim and ceiling. This allows you to roll the paint on the rest of the room without accidentally getting paint on unwanted surfaces. Using a 3 inch angled brush cut in one section of the room at a time. While the paint still has a wet edge roll that same section. Repeat this throughout your interior house painting project. You always want to keep the edge of where you start and stop wet so the paint can blend together. This allows for an even finish and will prevent noticeable differences in color and sheen.