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Make Housepainting Less of a Chore

Posted: Tuesday, June 23, 2009

by Kate Whitely

Theres one sure-fire way to refresh your homes looks when the dcor fails to inspire you: just add a lick of paint. Painting your interior walls isnt quite so easy as licking a stamp, however. In fact, without careful preparation, interior painting can be a costly hassle, especially if you get it wrong. Follow these guidelines for preparing and painting interior walls to save time, money, and your blood pressure.

Remove Obstacles Before You Paint Your first order of business is to make the path for your brushes and rollers (and your painters) as clear as possible. To that end:

Push all furniture towards the center of the room.
Collect any decorative items (vases, plants, etc.) from windowsills and mantelpieces and either remove them from the room or place them with the furniture.
Remove all paintings, photographs, and mirrors from the walls, as well as any hardware used to hang them up.
Remove electrical socket and light switch covers (or else protect them with masking tape).
Cover the floor and the gathered furniture with drop cloths or plastic sheeting.
Tape the drop cloths or plastic sheeting down to prevent slipping or gaps where paint could spill.

Prepare The Surfaces To Be Painted Youve invested in paintyou may even have spent a lot of time choosing the perfect color. But if you want that paint to look its best, you need to prepare the walls, trim, and other woodwork for it first.

Plug holes and small cracks with a lightweight spackle.
Wash dirty walls with mild soap and water.
In kitchens, use a trisodium phosphate cleaner on greasy areas around stoves.
If washing isnt a good idea, brush on a stain-repellent primer.
Always apply stain-repellent primer to areas stained with nicotine or greasy marks like crayons. This prevents the stain bleeding through the new paint job.
Apply masking tape next to areas you dont want painted, and press firmly to eliminate bubbles.
Check windows and other areas for cracked or missing caulk, and re-caulk as necessary.

If you want to sand off old paint, and your house was constructed before 1970, you will want to test for lead paint to avoid exposing your family to lead dust. You can easily confirm the presence of lead paint with a home lead test swab. If you do find lead, youll want a professional to remove it. Check in the phone bookyour towns building inspector should be able to help you find lead paint removal services.

Prepare Your Painting Materials Youll want to mix your paint thoroughly before applying. You can either do this the old-fashioned waywith a stickor you can invest in a paint mixer that attaches to a drill for faster, more thorough mixing, such as the Squirrel Mixer. When it comes to applying the paint, dont buy the cheapest brushes and rollers going. Investing a little more money ensures more efficient laydown of your paint, as well as a nicer finish.

Prepare Your Crew Finally, take steps to ensure you and any helpers you have are safe and comfortable. Wear clothes you dont care abouttheyll get paint on them no matter what. Make sure your work area is well-ventilated, and that any ladders or scaffolding you use has all the screws tightened and firm footing on the floor. Take regular breaks. If you must split your work into sessions of more than one day, finish off your painting at a natural break, like a door or the corner of a wall, so you know where to start when you next pick up your brush.

Kate Whitely is a freelance writer based in Chicago . She writes about home improvement, health, beauty, and fashion. You can buy the revolutionary Squirrel Mixer online from http://www.squirrelmixer.com.

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