6 Mistakes To Avoid When Painting Your House
There are so many painting mistakes that you need to avoid when you’re painting your house. You can ruin the whole project with just one brushstroke if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Then, to fix it, you’ll have to paint all over again, which means spending time (and money) on painting your house. Luckily, you can avoid all of that nonsense with some advice from the team at McHugh Painting.
Keep reading for some handy tips to help you avoid the worst painting mistakes!
1) Forgetting To Clean & Prep Walls Before Painting
Paint should always go on a CLEAN wall. And that means cleaning before surface prep, too, especially in the kitchen, where walls and cabinet doors collect all of the grease and other grime absorbed when you cook.
Surface prep is almost as important as the actual paint and painting process. If the surface underneath is in rough shape, painting over it won’t make it look any better. In fact, it may just highlight the underlying issues.
2) Not Including Primer In Your Prep
Priming should be the final stage of surface prep. Even if your wall didn’t need any repairs or sanding and you’re just looking for a colour change. You still need primer.
Primer creates a blank canvas for the new colour to shine through without being obstructed by the layers beneath. You can skip this extra step by buying paint that has primer mixed right into it.
3) Thinking You Don’t Need Painters Tape
Unless you have the hand dexterity of Picasso himself, it’s ALWAYS best to use painter’s tape. Sealing off trim edges, baseboards, and all the room’s electrical outlets will prevent painting accidents and drips.
So, it saves you a lot of time in correcting them. Plus, painter’s tape helps you achieve clean lines that make everything look professional.
4) Not Letting Paint Completely Dry Between Coats
Painting multiple coats helps seal the paint colour and helps the paint last longer. Some think that it’s unnecessary, but it really does help to keep things looking vibrant.
But when paint doesn’t fully dry before another layer goes on top, it can ruin EVERYTHING. So, you’ll want to make sure that you let every coat (including primer) dry completely before painting another.
5) Choosing The Wrong Paint Colours
Choosing the right paint colours for each room in the house can be a tricky deal. First, you need to choose colours that go with your home’s decor theme. Then you have to figure out how to arrange the colours differently for each room.
But having a whole home colour scheme is always best because it keeps all your rooms looking like they belong together without risking monotony. A whole-home colour scheme uses the same colour for every room. But the colours are arranged differently to keep things interesting.
6) Buying Cheap Paint
There’s nothing wrong with saving money on home upgrades, but they don’t say, “You get what you pay for,” for nothing. You will always be safer with a good-quality top-tier brand than with a bargain brand.
No paint brand formulates their paint the same way. Cheap brands typically use low-quality pigments that fade quickly. And the colours usually look totally different from the sample or paint swatch. Plus, cheaper brands tend to leave lower-quality results with streaks and lines.
Avoid All These Mistakes By Hiring A Painting Pro
The best way to avoid any and all painting mistakes is to delegate the project to someone who knows house painting like none other.
At McHugh Painting, we bring you the best of the best results so you can spend your time on bigger and better things! Contact us today to get the ball rolling on your next painting project!