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Wall
Preparation For Painting
Before you begin to paint your house, you have to prepare
the room and the surface of the walls for painting. There
has to be wall preparation before painting, the surface
has to be ready to accept the paint. Not only would you
like the job to be perfect, but you would like the things
in the room to remain undamaged as well. Given below are a
few tips on preparation for painting your house, both for
the surface to be painted and for the other things in the
room.
 The
first thing you should do is clear the room. Remove
everything that you can from the room. What cannot be
moved should be placed in the center and cover it with a
canvas or plastic drop cloth.
Turn
of the power, before removing light fixtures, switches and
switch plates, towel rods etc. Light fixtures that cannot
be brought down should be covered with plastic. Bring down
curtains and curtain rods as well. You can get your
curtains cleaned as well.
Bring
down ceiling fans as well. Remove trim pieces of ceiling
fixtures as well. Remove switch plates and other outlet
plates and cover the outlets themselves with masking tape.
Place
a large enough trashcan lined with a plastic bag to throw
debris as they gather. A dirty work area is not only
unsafe but can slow you down.
Use
canvas to cover the floor to prevent damage from paint
splatters and spills.
Remove
door hardware.
Pull
out nails and picture hooks and fill holes with joint
compound.
Use
masking tape or painter's tape to cover areas that you do
not want painted. Door hardware and window and ceiling
trim that you cannot remove.
Drywalls
have marks of nail heads and peeling joints tape. These
should be repaired before you paint the wall. For holes
made by nails fill with plaster like mixture called joint
compound and sand before painting. Cut off peeling tape
and remove old adhesive with knife. Cover open joint with
fiberglass mesh tape to fit the joint exactly. Cover with
a layer of joint compound sand and prime before painting.
New drywall rooms need to be primed before painting.
For
plaster walls nail holes can be filled with surfacing
compound. For larger holes, clean with screwdriver, remove
all loose plaster. Nail in some hardware screen to the
lath to grasp the plaster. Use patching plaster to patch
the hole. Prepare the plaster according to manufacturer's
instructions. Apply three thin layers of plaster. Use
drywall compound as the last layer and smooth. Use sand
paper to sand and smooth and apply primer before painting.
Before
painting woodwork, the layers of old paint will have to be
stripped. You can use a chemical stripper or a heat gun to
remove the old layers of paint. Use an old paintbrush to
apply the stripper. As bubbles form with the help of a
scraper and steel wool to remove the soft paint. If you
use a heat gun use from a distance of one foot and remove
the paint as it flakes up. The heat gun should be held in
such a way that the paint is removed and the woodwork is
left undamaged. Use protective gear like leather gloves
while scraping.
For
new woodwork all you need to do is to dull the surface
using a deglosser or lightly sanding the wood prepares the
surface for new paint. Wear protective gear at all times,
use a respirator and wear leather gloves. Work in a
well-ventilated room. Wash you hands with soap before you
eat, drink or smoke, after you have worked with the
chemicals.
Particles
of dirt, grease and grime have to be removed from the wall
before you start painting. If these are left as they are
on the wall, it will affect the paint's finish. Walls that
are ordinarily soiled walls you can use a solution of
washing soda to clean the wall and make it coarse to
easily accept paint. Dip a sponge in the solution and work
on the ceiling first and then on the walls from bottom to
top. Turn of the power before you begin cleaning the
walls. |
