It’s amazing how a fresh coat of properly applied paint can transform the appearance of a room or piece of furniture. However, the final results can be less than satisfying if you don’t do work ahead of time. Read here for information on choosing the right paint for the job and getting ready for your project.

Prepare the Area

 

It’s very discouraging to spend a lot of time and effort painting something, only to find that the surface underneath show sim perfections. Or to spend several hours doing the painting and then as much time cleaning up. Be sure you have good lighting in your painting area, remove or cover all furniture and flooring, fill, patch and sand holes and cracks in the surface, carefully clean all surfaces to be painted, remove electrical switch and plug covers.

 

 Choose the Right Paint

There are lots of paints on the market, all promising to give you excellent results. First of all, it’s important to choose interior paint for interior surfaces and exterior paint for exterior surfaces. Interior paint dries more quickly and has less offensive odor than exterior paint, which dries more slowly.

 Decide What Sheen You Want

There are five finishes of interior paint. Gloss paint holds up on areas that might require frequent cleaning, like kitchen and bath cabinets and walls. Semi-gloss paint is durable, but with less shine. Satin paint is also easy to clean, but has a low shine. For walls in bedrooms, living rooms and family rooms, eggshell is a good choice, with a barely discernablegloss. Flat paint has almost no reflective quality, making it a good choice for walls and ceilings with irregularities.

 

Visit the Paint Store

 

With your color scheme, fabrics, and excitement in tow,visit your local paint store or home center. Select paint color chips that looklike they’ll coordinate with what you have in mind. But do not buy now! Speakwith a salesperson about your job and get suggestions for buying the properproduct and level of gloss.

 

Look in All Types of Light

 

It’s very important to look at your color swatches in alllights of the day and night. The perfect blue can look all wrong in yourbedroom with the lamps turned on. Find the best shade for the time you’ll be inthe room most. If you work all day and are out of the house, the color shouldbe chosen to best suit artificial light.

 

HowMuch to Buy

 

All paint cans will give information on the coverage you canexpect under normal circumstances. Measure the size of your room, count windowsand doors. The salesperson can recommend the right amount to buy for your jobor you can visit sites on the internet which offer calculators to determine theright quantity. Don’t under-buy, because you’ll want a little left over fortouch-ups later.

 

Choosethe Right Applicator

 

Walls and ceilings can be sprayed (difficult for thenovice), brushed (very slow) or rolled. Trim paint should be brushed on. Foamrollers on flat surfaces give a very smooth finish and are easy to use. Padpainters are popular because they hold a lot of paint and apply it quickly tosmooth walls. Your paint supply store can direct you to the best applicatorsfor your particular project.

 

GiveYourself Enough Time

 

It may seem like painting a small room or chair shouldn’ttake much time. Unless you’re experienced with painting projects, allot moretime than you think the project will take. It would be a shame to have to stopin the middle of a job, put everything away, and clean up your equipment, onlyto go back to it the next day. Give yourself plenty of time, don’t be in ahurry, and enjoy the final results.