A great paint job starts with high-quality paint. “Buy good paint,” said Chris Castelitz, owner of Dayton-based Quality Maintenance of Ohio. “If you spend $15 or less, you’ll need at least three coats.” Higher quality paint, on the other hand, “flows much better off the roller or brush. It can make you look like a better painter,” he said.
Castelitz recommended buying a paint with primer added, however, he cautioned, “Paint is paint and primer is primer, but ‘paint with primer’ is a better grade of paint.”
Everyone knows that paint is available in every color imaginable, but paint colors also come in a number of different sheen levels. “Flat is the least amount of sheen,” said Darrell Gossett of 800 Paint Place in Springfield. “Then it steps up to eggshell, then satin finishes, then semi-gloss.”
If you have damaged walls or are not confident in your painting abilities, less sheen is for you. “The less sheen, the less wall irregularities you’ll see,” Gossett explained. Eggshell sheen is a fairly popular choice for walls, and the higher sheens are generally used on doors and trim.
Tools of the trade
Now it’s time to choose the right tools. The most important things you’ll need are paintbrushes and rollers, but you’ll also need some painters’ plastic, drop cloths and plenty of blue painters’ tape.
Paint roller covers come in a variety of naps (thicknesses), and the right nap depends on the texture of the wall you’re painting. However, “a 3/8-inch nap is the most common,” said Castelitz.
You’ll paint the largest part of the wall with the roller, but for edging, trim and tricky spots, you’ll need a brush. Castelitz recommends a “two-inch to one-and-a-half-inch angled sash brush,” which can retail anywhere between $7 and $17. A synthetic paintbrush is best. “If you’re working with latex paint, use a polyester brush,” he said.
Start painting
Before you start, you need to make sure your walls are in good shape. “Fill all the holes, unless you’re re-hanging a picture in the exact same spot,” said Castelitz. “If so, put a toothpick in the hole.” If not, fill the hole with spackle and sand it down when dry. When dealing with damaged drywall, it’s best to hire a pro to get it repaired.
You should clean dust from the walls and, especially in areas where grease builds up, wash them with a solution of trisodium phosphate.
Once the walls are ready, put the drop cloths on the floor, the painters’ plastic on the furniture and start taping. Use blue painters’ tape, especially if you’re new to painting. “Tape as much as you’re not confident in painting,” Castelitz said. Good places to tape off include around trim and over light switches. “Take outlet plates off and light fixtures if you’re painting the ceiling,” he said. “Don’t paint over outlets, tape over switches and take down your window blinds.”
Use your paintbrush to very carefully paint along the ceiling – this is called edging. You should also edge all the areas you’ve taped.
“You want to be consistent with the paint you use and try to get as close to the edges as you can,” Gossett said. “The paint will look a little different between the roller and the paint brush.”
To prevent a “boxing” effect in which the edges show, Castelitz recommended edging a smaller section and immediately filling in that section with a roller, rather than edging the entire room first. Otherwise, he said, “The edges will show because there are two coats on them.”
Cleaning up
If you’ve used your drop cloths and plastic, cleaning up should be a breeze. Everyone spills and drips – paint is messy stuff, after all – so Castelitz advised keeping a wet sponge or cloth nearby as you paint to soak up spills before they set.
Clean out your brush entirely to give it a long lifespan. If you think you’ll need to touch up, however, rollers and brushes will stay wet for several days inside a plastic bag.
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