A Dummies Guide to House Painting

For most people, painting a room is not something that comes naturally as it is not a task that you get to perform on the daily! We understand the pains and here are some tips for you beginners embarking on a basic home renovation project.

A great paint job starts with getting the right tools. Painting tools come in different shapes and sizes.

Here are some tools you might want to get:

Use the right tools

Painter's tape

is used to mask off areas that should not be painted. As it is made to prevent paint from seeping through into the masked off areas, a clean removal is guaranteed. A cheaper alternative will be masking tape, but do note that it is not designed to remove cleanly. It might leave a sticky residue if left adhered to for a long time.

Drop cloth (or unwanted cloth)

is used to cover the furniture and floors, preventing paint from getting on them. Let’s admit it: no matter how careful you might be, there will be drips of paint.

Paint rollers (and lots of refills)

are essential for the application of paint on large, flat surfaces. However, do get an extension pole to reach the ceilings and higher parts of the walls!

Paint tray

is used to hold the paint of your choice. They are either 7 or 9-inch. The 9-inch tray is more popular as you can use both 7 or 9-inch roller. To make cleaning up of trays easier, buy some disposable tray liners or line the tray with aluminium foil.

Steps for painting

Base Coat

Primer is often applied before the paint, to ensure better adhesion of paint to the surface and paint durability. It is used to resolve common painting problems such as cracking and peeling. The process of priming is not necessary, but it is highly recommended.

On the other hand, sealer is a special type of primer designed to repair poor substrates such as crumbly old concrete tiles. This is done by binding up porous surface. It is notable that the terms primer and sealer are often used interchangeably.

Top Coat

Upon application of primer/sealer, apply the paint of your choice. For light colours, you might need 3 or more coats for an even and smooth finishing. For dark colours, 2 coatings should be enough for a beautiful wall finish.