Following on from last week’s tips, here are our next five to help you achieve that professional finish on your painting projects!
- Prep walls before painting
Before you get the paint brush out, make sure that you’ve fully prepared your painting surfaces. Walls can easily become dirty or greasy even if you don’t immediately notice it so it’s important to clean them with sugar soap, sand them down and fill in any gaps or holes with Polyfilla, then sand them down again before you apply your first coat of paint.
2. Safely store and dispose of paint
When your paint job is complete it’s a great feeling to stand back and admire those clean lines and high quality finish, but chances are you’ll have leftover paint that you need to store or dispose of. If you’re going to be storing your paint, keep it in its original container and check that the lid is on tightly before storing at room temperature so no skins form on the paint. If you’re going to get rid of your leftover paint, we recommend donating it to a local community project such as Community Repaint or take it to a recycling centre if the paint is unusable.
3. Quality is key
If you’re going for a quality paint finish, don’t scrimp on your tools. You can find good quality paint rollers, brushes, and scrapers etc. at local merchants. If you look after your painting tools and wash brushes properly after use, they should last the average domestic person a lifetime.
4. What tools do I need?
Paint brushes and rollers come in all different sizes depending on the job and what you will be using them for. If you’re not sure what tools you need for your paint job, we’ve put together a resource on 15 essential items for your paint toolkit here.
- Tape
- Stirrer
- Paint Rollers
- Paint Trays
- Ladder
- Cloths
- Sheets
- Sandpaper
- Spirit Level
- Pencil & Rubber
- Tape Measure
- Screwdriver
- Filler
- Sponge
- Knee Pads
5. How often should I paint?
GME recommends repainting every three years to keep your walls looking fresh. If you pay that little bit extra, you can get scrubbable paint which allows you to regularly wipe down your walls to keep them clean. The cleaner your walls are, the less likely you’ll need to repaint.
