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How to paint a room

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When doing any DIY project around the home it is important to get it right the first time.

This will help you to avoid time-consuming and costly repairs at a later stage. Painting (especially in areas where damp or moisture may be a problem) is one such task.

Get the room ready
Don't try to get everything done in one day, as the quality of the end result all depends on the preparation.

Sometimes more time is needed for the preparation work than for the painting itself, but laying the groundwork will help you achieve the best result and you may even enjoy the job more.

  • Use the day before painting to prepare the room. Remove as much of the furniture and accessories as you can. Try to move what is left into the centre of the room and cover these items with good drop cloths. Lay drop cloths on the floor to protect it.

  • The best material for a drop cloth is a heavy canvas cloth. It is not as slippery as plastic, and covers and protects better than newspaper. Fold the cloth to fit the room and tape down the corners.

    To prevent scratching, be sure to vacuum hardwood or laminate floors before you put down drop cloths.

  • Remove all mirrors and works of art from the walls.

  • Use masking tape to tape around mouldings, doors and windows. Patch cracks and holes with Polyfiller or a premixed crack filler.

    Premixed crack fillers tend to shrink less, or sometimes not at all, when they dry. Immovable fixtures can be covered with large plastic bags and taped shut.

  • It may seem easier to paint around light switches and fittings but, unless you are an experienced painter, you are likely to make mistakes.

    Remove all doorknobs, light-switch plates and electrical-outlet covers, and light fi xtures. Place the pieces in clearly marked bags to keep them together. This is also a good time to give these items a good cleaning.

  • Make sure that there is adequate ventilation in the room. If not, bring in a fan to help to circulate the air.

    Get the right equipment
    Every year new products come onto the market to help make the task of painting more enjoyable. Make sure you select the best products for your job, and organise a tool station in the middle of your work area.

    What you will need:

  • paint or roller tray
  • brushes (38mm, 50mm and 100mm)
  • paint roller
  • extension pole (for those hard-to-reach ceilings)
  • scraper/spatula
  • sanding block and 60-, 80- and 100-grit sandpaper
  • orbital sander (makes sanding larger areas easier; optional)
  • drop cloths
  • crack filler (pre-mixed filler is preferable as it is less likely to shrink)
  • painter's tape or masking tape
  • screwdriver (to remove light-fitting and light-switch covers and to open tins)
  • step ladder
  • household rags (for wiping off excess paint, catching drips, cleaning up spills, or wiping your hands)
  • overalls or old clothes (no matter how careful you are, you are bound to get drips of paint on whatever you are wearing)

    How much paint will you need?

  • Plan on three coats in all: one coat of primer and two coats of finish.
    Tip: Have the primer tinted to match your selected paint colour. You may be able to avoid a second coat.

  • Always use a primer on unpainted surfaces, as raw surfaces tend to suck up paint like a sponge or even reject it.

  • For ceilings, use specially formulated paint, such as Plascon's One Coat Ceiling Paint.

  • Measure the surfaces you are going to paint in order to work out how much paint you will need. Refer to the backs of the tins, which should tell you the 'spreading rate', or total area the paint in the tin will cover.

    Alternatively, ask a shop assistant or paint specialist for assistance. You can also visit the websites of paint brands such as Plascon (www.plascon.co.za) and Dulux (www.dulux.co.za) and use the online paint calculator to help you determine how much paint you will need for any given surface.

    Prepare the walls paint before you start

  • If you are working with walls that have previously been painted, wash them down with a mild household cleanser to remove dirt, grease, stains or mildew, otherwise the new paint may adhere rather poorly.

    Rinse well to prevent the soap residue from reacting to the new layer of paint.

  • Sand or scrape loose any flaky paint with sandpaper and paint scrapers – down to bare surfaces if necessary.
  • Using a putty knife, fill all nail and screw holes and fine cracks with filler. Let these dry and then sand gently.
  • Sand glossy surfaces with sandpaper to help the paint to adhere more easily.
  • Wipe or vacuum off any resulting dust.
  • Apply a primer, especially on new walls and surfaces. The primer for walls is called Masonry Primer, while Universal Undercoat (wood and steel) or Wood Primer is used on wooden surfaces.

    Choose the right type of paint
    The type of paint you use (and its finish) is essential if you want a neatly painted room. There are the two types you could consider:

    Water-based or latex paint
    These paints are easiest to work with and the easiest to clean up. New latex paints are formulated to be environmentally friendly.

    Acrylic (latex) paint is best for walls and it also works well on woodwork. Drying time is short (usually about one hour). Latex paints do tend to develop a 'skin' of paint in the tin when they begin to dry out, so keep the tin covered as much as possible.

    Pour the quantity of paint you want to work with into another container (or the roller tray) and close the tin.

    Oil-based paint
    This is also known as alkyd-based paint and requires a solvent, such as turpentine, to clean paintbrushes. Oil-based paint is stain resistant and sticks well to walls and ceilings.

    It is particularly popular for use in bathrooms and kitchens. Most professional painters prefer oil-based paints, especially for cabinets, furniture, and trims. New formulations are less harmful towards the environment and are non toxic.

    Choose the right finish
    Once you have decided on the merits or latex versus oil, you need to decide on a finish.

    Matte: This finish is good for large surfaces, since it doesn't reflect light. It is often used in bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and on ceilings.

    Satin: Such a finish is an excellent way to brighten up hallways, living areas and children's bedrooms and playrooms.

    Semigloss: This finish is easy to clean, making it great for high-traffic areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and doors.

    Gloss: This finish reflects the most light and is usually used for furnishings as opposed to walls.

    In areas that experience high moisture and humidity, such as bathrooms, mildew may become a problem. Consider adding a mould preventing additive, which you can buy at most hardware stores, to your paint before you start.

    Don't paint over problem areas
    Peeling or blistering paint on interior walls may be caused by rising damp or excessive moisture. This could be as a direct result of a leaking pipe or badly sealed adjacent shower.

    Attempt to repair the cause before repairing the symptoms. Once you (or a plumber) have established and thoroughly repaired the cause, allow the affected area to dry out completely (this may take days or even weeks), then treat the walls with a damp sealer, such as Plascon Dampseal, before overcoating with the paint of your choice.

    Use a 38mm brush for trim work, a 50mm brush for 'cutting in' and a 100mm brush for painting cornices and in corners.

    Choose the right tools
    Natural or synthetic?

  • Paintbrushes and rollers with natural fibre bristles (such as horse-hair brushes or lamb's-wool rollers) are meant to be used with oil-based paints.

  • Synthetic bristles or rollers are designed for water-based or latex paints because natural bristles absorb the water in latex paint.

    Brushes

  • Densely packed bristles that taper to an edge help with painting straight edges or for 'cutting in'. 'Cutting in' means to create a neat edge with a paintbrush.
    This could be the border between two colours or the neat edge needed along door frames, window frames, cornices and skirting boards.

    Paint rollers

  • Rollers help the job go faster and can make your paint job look neater but rollers can be difficult to use in corners or on rough or uneven surfaces.

  • Select a roller with a 'nap' or 'pile' (the fullness of the covering) according to the texture of the wall(s) you intend to paint.

  • The rule of thumb is to use a smoother pile on smoother surfaces and a more plush or rugged, longer-pile roller on rougher or more textured surfaces, as these rollers can more easily reach into nooks and crannies.

    You are now ready to paint

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