Did you ever visit someone’s house and got amazed? Did you say to yourself while admiring it, “Wow, I like the way this place looks! Oh! I wish my house was this beautiful! But then what should I do to make it look such attractive?” Maybe, it is not possible for you to hire a professional consultant or a designer to paint your house. But, you still want your home to reflect your personal touch. Thus, through this article we are trying to help you out. We are sharing here some essential home painting tips that will make your painting experience better than you might have ever expected.
Important Painting Tips for Your Home
Painting a home is essentially done for two reasons – decoration and protection of the surfaces of a house. Let us go through some important painting tips before you begin painting so that your work becomes easy.
01. Decide whether Painting Your Home is Necessary or Not
- First of all, it is only you who can decide whether painting your house is required or not. It is for you to understand whether the surfaces of your house are old or new? If they are old, then since how many years they have not been given a coat of paint? Have you taken care of the financial aspect? Is the time rightfor painting job? Also assess your physical condition. Ask yourself whether you will be able to cope with the level of hard work required during the process of preparing your home for paint?
02. Select the Right Time to Paint Your House
- If you are doing most of the painting work yourself after working hours and during weekends, you must plan your time carefully. A little preparedness will help you understand if weekends leave enough time to get it done or no?
- If you start the painting job of your house without a set plan, it might go haywire and turn out messy.
03. Making a Decision to Hire a Painter
- While deciding not to paint your home by yourself can be a wise decision some times, hiring the right painter may not be easy too.
- An excellent place to start with would be your nearby local paint store. This is the place where you will be able to find some good contractors. A paint store can normally refer you to two or three contractors.
04. Hire a Right Painting Contractor
- The selection of a painting contractor is significant and crucial because he needs to ensure excellent job, best value for money and also save a lot of time and effort.
- You can ask the contractor to give you some references of his previous works so you can call some of them and get a proper feedback regarding the contractor. This will also help you understand if any of his past customers has any complaints against him. If the contractor is not from your area, you need to be extra cautions.
- The painting contractor should be able to handle everything necessary for the thorough completion of your job. It should not happen that after he is gone, you realize that he has missed some critical spots.
- Hire a professional painting contractor who is aware of all the aspects of his job (i.e. before starting the painting work, during the ongoing process of painting and even after completion) and who supervises regularly every detail till the painting is completely done. Your painting contractor should be willing to “make it right” if you have any dissatisfaction even after the completion.
05. Enter into an Agreement / Decide Scope for Painting a Home
Before you start the work follow the given below points –
01. Assess and decide the budget that is affordable to you.
02. Depending upon your budget, decide the type of paint after consulting the contractor.
03. Get an overall estimation from the contractor.
04. Ensure that you have in hand at least 1.2 times the money of your estimated budget.
05. Enter into an agreement with the contractor and fix:
a) Price or lump sum rate including maximum amount
b) Time limit for the completion of work
c) Terms of payment
d) The brandand type of paint to be used. (i.e. Asian Paints, Nerolac Paints, Berger Paints, Velvet Paints, Apcolite Paints)
e) It is advisable to have a clarity regarding petty odd jobs like who will shift the furniture? Who will remove the stains from floor, furniture etc? Transparency in this regard will not only avoid unnecessary delay but also wastage of money. For more details, read: 8 Fatal Mistakes That You Ought to Avoid When Choosing a Home Renovation Contractor!
06. Choose the Right Type of Paint for Old & New Walls
- If you are going to paint a house, there are always going be 2 scenarios in front of you.
- Scenario – 1 Are you going to apply paint on new walls?
- Scenario – 2 Are you going to apply paint on old Walls?
Well, treatment will be different in both the cases. For instance – Surface Preparation, types of paint, Types of paint Brushes will be different for both the Scenarios.
- If you are going to repaint the old walls, it is imperative to check the shade and type of the previous paint. If the shade of new paint is close to the previous paint, then you need not remove the existing one, but if you choose a lighter one over a darker shade, you might require more than two coats to hide the previous colour.
07. Right Weather Condition for Painting Work
- Choose the right weather / season for painting jobs. In cold and wet weather, the paint inside dries very slowly. In extremely hot and dry weather, the application of paint becomes tricky to apply and, there are chances of appearance of brush marks and blistering.
- If the house is to be painted from inside, it is a good idea to paint it in warm and dry weather as the paint dries quickly and more consistently.
- While the painting work is being done, adequate light is essential. This will not only speed up the work but also leave scope for minimal errors.
08. Choose the Right Types of Paint
- In an era of modern technology, there are different types of paint available for different types of surfaces. Always choose the right paint recommended by the manufacturer or visit our site for selecting the right paint.
- There are different types of paint used for interior and exterior surfaces. You cannot use interior paint on exterior surfaces and vice versa.
- Make sure that you are not only selecting the right kind of paint, but the one which is in proper synchronization and harmony with all the rooms within the house and, from its interior to its exterior.
If you want to know different types of paint, refer:
09. Choose Colour Scheme for Painting a Home
- Choose the colour scheme in totality which enhances your home and makes you more peaceful. A right colour scheme will reduce your stress & negativity of your home to a certain extent.
- The colour scheme should be such that it matches with all the other components or elements of the house such as the colour of flooring, furniture (bed, sofa etc.), roof, adjacent room, curtains, electrical fixtures, lighting etc.
- In a nutshell, when you think of any colour, think about all the elements associated with your home. This includes both the interior and the exterior of your house. Once you have given a proper thought to all these aspects, only proceed then. Do not go by parts selectively in piecemeal.
To know more about colour scheme Design, read:
10. Estimate a Quantity of Paint Required to Paint Your House
- Before you begin the painting job, you need to estimate the amount of paint you will require to paint your house. This includes a specific calculation for each and every surface you want to paint.
- Never buy the exact estimated quantity of paint. Buy some extra amount of paint for touch-ups.
- If however your contract includes supply of required materials, you need not worry for the same.
If you want to know about labour and material contract, refer:
11. Visual Inspection
- It is better to have a visual inspection done initially before repainting the house. If any painting defects exist on walls or ceiling i.e. cracking, flaking, peeling, blistering, etc., you need to repair or treat those defects first. Later, you need to sand or scrap lightly the whole surface. Your surface should be free from the dust. Please do all necessary civil repairs or treatment before initiating the painting job. If you do not give proper treatment to the walls before painting, the new painting coat will not stick on the wall.
12. Choose an Ideal Paint Brushes and Rollers
- Selection of the right paint brushes and rollers for paint is a crucial step. According to the Government of India Ministry of Railway, even the best paint will not be able to give a good result if there is no right kind of paint brush or roller used. Good quality brushes and rollers perform very differently from the cheaper ones. They give excellent coverage and reduce the time for re-application.
- For different types of paint and for different surfaces, different types of paint brushes and rollers are recommended. So, always inspect the brushes and rollers before buying them.
- In case you have undergone with a material contract with your contractor, ensure that the contractor is using the right brushes.
If you want to know more in details about paint brushes, read:
13. Cover Everything you do not Want to Paint
- Cover all the things that you do not want to paint. Move all the furniture at the centre of the room and cover it with plastic sheets, old clothes or canvas or paper to protect it from the paint spill.
- While the painting job is carried on, the floor may get stained due to paint droppings. Hence, cover the floor of the room with drop cloths or plastic sheets by using painter’s tape fixed all around.
- Cover the door and window fixtures with masking tape or, remove or unscrew the hardware and put it carefully in plastic bags.
14. Sample Testing of Colour Scheme
- Try applying various paint samples before committing to the final colour. Sheen is very important for the painting job. This will give you an idea that the colour you have chosen or finalized is worth spending money or no.
- Sample testing is advantageous as it helps us to understand how the paint reacts to the lighting in the room. By applying some sample paint in small areas, we shall also get an accurate idea as to how the finished project will look like! For this, you can buy a small container for trial or a good contractor will do such sampling free of cost.
15. Health and Allergy Consideration: Use low VOC Paints
Some people are allergic to dust or dust particles of old paint. So just in case you are allergic to the same, be more careful. The old paint might contain lead particles. Also substandard quality of new paint contains volatile organic compound which can cause cold, cough or other allergies due to trace of poisonous substances in it. Hence, it is advised to use low VOC paints.
16. Playing Safe with Electrical Appliances While Painting a Home
Painters essentially need extension cords, extension ladders; scaffolding etc. Using the proper cable makes the painter’s job easy and comfortable. More over it also extends the life of the tool. If the work is carried out in the exterior part, make sure that there is a proper grounding system for your appliances/ scaffolding etc. to prevent the occurrence of any accident. Ensure that the ladders used are firm, sound & safe.
17. Use of Safety Equipments While Painting a Home
Follow all the safety rules. The necessary safety equipments are:
- Ladder and ladder accessories
- Mask for lung protection
- Goggles for eye protection
- Gloves for hand protection
- Protective garments, etc.
Summing up, Painting our homes is important for various reasons. It enhances the beauty of our home. It adds warmth, create mood, hide imperfections and append personality to our home. A good paint job can also transform a necessary space into your cherished home. If you plan every detail carefully and execute the job, it is worth the effort. We hope this blog proves to be helpful in giving you the right painting tips before you start painting your house.
Image Courtesy: Image 7