As experienced house painters in Portland, Oregon, our team at Three River Painting provides our customers with exceptional service that leaves their home looking its best. With our years of experience providing interior and exterior painting services, our Portland painting contractors understand what it takes to finish any home painting project right the first time.
While painting a room in your home might seem like a massive undertaking, knowing the best tips and practices for preparing your room will make it easy to complete any interior painting project like a pro.
To help you get the desired finish to your next home painting project, keep the following steps in mind when it comes time to paint.
Step 1.) Clean the Walls
A fresh coat of paint can help to dramatically improve the look and feel of any room in your home. But to get your walls looking their best, you first need make sure to remove any dirt, dust, or grease spots that might ruin your smooth finish and stand out.
Just use some water mixed with a mild dishwashing detergent and a sponge to gently scrub away any spots or stains. Once you’ve cleaned the walls, go back and rinse them with clean water to remove any soapy residue.
Step 2.) Tape the Doorframes, Windows, and Trim
Taping off the molding, trim, and frames of a room will make it easier to avoid painting accidents when painting around these contrasting areas of a room.
When covering these areas, always use blue painters tape. Unlike duct, electrical, or masking tape, painters tape is designed to thoroughly cover the surface of your molding and trim without leaving any sticky residue once removed.
You can apply painters tape up to a week before you start painting.
Once you’ve finished painting the room, immediately remove the painters tape before the wall dries, so you don’t peel off any paint.
Step 3.) Prime the Walls
It’s a common painting myth that walls that have been painted many times over the years don’t need to be primed. In fact, the primer actually helps to maximize the sheen and coverage of the paint you use and it also gives the finished coat a more uniform appearance.
So while it might be tempting to try and save time by skipping this important step, don’t take any shortcuts if you want the best looking finished product possible.
Step 4.) Always Brush What You Can’t Roll
Paint brushes can be a pain to clean, but they add an extra level of precision when it comes to painting around areas of a room a roller cannot properly reach.
Brush on paint around the corners of walls and trim with a two-inch angled brush. Paint out to about two or three inches from any doors, windows, or molding to make sure you don’t risk running your roller over these areas.
Step 5.) Use a W Rolling Technique
A true pro’s tip, start in the corner of a wall and roll on a three-by-by three-foot W pattern, then fill out the pattern without lifting the roller. Continue painting in this fashion in sections until you’ve completed the wall. Always paint one wall at a time to ensure an even finish.
Not only is the technique the most efficient way to paint a wall, it also helps to ensure the best looking finish.
Step 6.) Paint the Trim
Once the walls have been completely painted and dried, re-tape where the trim meets the wall. Paint the molding and the door and window frames with a two-inch angled brush. While it can be tempting to skip painting the trim of a room, the older paint will stand out against your freshly painted walls to add a negative contrast to your beautiful new room.
Follow these steps and your room will look like it’s been done by our experienced house painters in Portland, Oregon at Three River Painting.
Good luck and have fun.
