Calculate the surface area of your walls to know how much paint to buy. By multiplying the height by its length, you will obtain its surface area. Then, add up that of each wall in the room. Add 10% to compensate for losses due to hardware implementation.
Read and reread the manufacturer’s instructions on the cans, you will find the general description, usage, drying and covering times as well as the surface area that can be painted. Remember that you will need two coats in addition to the primer. Be patient with drying times. You can ventilate the room, but only after finishing painting. Never during, otherwise you risk making lots of marks.
Remember to protect yourself by working with gloves, a mask if you have to sand, and appropriate clothing.
Good tools, good workman! Every dollar spent on good equipment will make your job easier and you will have a better finish.
Don’t neglect purchasing a pole. It allows you to work with significantly less effort. Take my word for it, at the end of the day, your back and arms will thank you. This also allows you to work more fluidly, without stopping in the middle of a surface.
The length of the roller bristles is chosen according to the condition of your wall or the viscosity of your paint. The large roller for large surfaces. The small one for the nooks, certain angles, the limit between the walls and the ceiling.
Brushes are used for cutting. For “oil” paints, choose natural bristles and for “water-based” paints, synthetic bristles.
The bins come in several models. Invest in professional equipment, you can adapt a pole support handle. There are also covers that allow you to take breaks in work without risking the roller drying out or the paint thickening.
Not so fast! The key is preparation. Preparing your site means protecting what cannot be taken out of the room and also preparing the surfaces that need to be painted. If your walls are very dirty or greasy, use a TSP-type degreaser cleaner to wash them. Rinse well and let dry. You need to remove unnecessary screws and nails, fill in all holes and scratches with joint compound in one or two coats, let it dry, and then sand.
Always start at the ceiling. Matte hides imperfections. Go down about 1 inch (2-3 cm) on the top of the walls to make it easier to cut into the walls later. Paint perpendicular to the wall where there are windows. If the room is rectangular, paint from the short side so that there are no boundaries.
Next, I recommend painting the plinths and frames. Not everyone agrees on this! Personally this allows me to “overflow” onto the walls and thus paint the sides perfectly. It is easier to make a nice flat cut, which is the case when the painting of the walls comes on top of the painting of the ceiling or moldings.
You are now at the walls. Take your time making your cutouts – ceilings, moldings, outlet surrounds – and allow enough width. A tip: drain your roller by rolling it on the tray and pay attention to the pressure so as not to create “ribs” on the walls with the edges of the roller, which will remain when drying and be visible. Go over the area you’re painting lightly and a few times – don’t go over the same spot just because you want to do just one coat!
Some (very) general concepts: yellow and its derivatives illuminate, blue distances, red brings together.
The 90/10 rule: make 90% neutral and natural colors in your rooms and “punch” this harmony with 10% bright or intense color. The ruler makes it easy to change the look of the room by simply changing the 10%.
Have you bought a color that ultimately turns out to be too acidic, too bright or too garish, in short, it doesn’t give the effect you were looking for? A tip is to take black coloring and lightly gray out the inappropriate color. This restores elegance to the color and often saves the pot!
Be wary of small color selection cards called color charts: they are often too small to correctly judge the final rendering of the color on all surfaces.
