10 Things You Must Know From Interior House Painter Pros

A new color inside your home can really brighten up dreary walls. There are a few considerations for you to mull over. Here are the 10 things you should know from our interior house painter pros.

Sheen

Just as important as the color you pick, the sheen will also impact the finished walls. If you are painting a high traffic, high touch or high mess wall, pick a high gloss or satin finish. This will help your paint stand up to the scrubbing of dirty fingerprints and greasy splatters. When preparing the wall, get it as perfect as possible. The shine that protects the paint will also show off imperfections like dings and dents. If the wall is not in great shape, choose a more matte finish. While it won’t handle the harsh scrubbing, it will hide the issues.

Color

Color choice is overwhelming to even the best of us. This is why so many homeowners throw in the towel and go for an off white or cream. Do not be scared of colors. Some choices are calming or relaxing without deep dark hues. Try a light blue for a spa like feel, or bring in the great outdoors with a barely there green.

Samples

Have your color choice? Great! But don’t commit to gallons yet. Get a tester pint mixed up of your choice. Our professionals suggest painting a poster board of the color and moving it around the room to test out eye line sight and ambient lighting throughout the day. This allows you to see a color swatch without messing up the walls.

Math

Overbuying paint can be a big additional cost on your project. Knowing the right amount to get will allow you to stay cost-conscious without under buying. Work from the square footage you have to cover and plan for several coats…more for porous or virgin drywall. Add a bit of extra to allow for spills and messes. Typically a gallon of paint will cover up to 400 square feet, so start with that number.

Prep

Our interior painters will tell you to plan for ⅔ of your work time to be in the preparations for painting. Cleaning, repairing, taping, removing hardware; it all adds up to man hours on the job. Planning accordingly will help you get a professional result in the end.

Prime

Working with virgin drywall, patches and distinct color changes, you’ll need to invest the time and money into a primer on the walls. Priming with a tinted primer can help vivid colors show vibrantly and give you better overall coverage. Priming will add to the adhesion on patches and virgin walls for a better finished look.

Cut in

Painting the edges and corners first, or cutting in, saves you time and effort. Our interior painters say by doing this first you will save time in the end. Since the intricate parts of painting are done, you can swiftly roll the walls in a W shape for great coverage.

Supplies

Getting rollers and brushes can seem like overkill while you’re in the checkout line. Make sure you have both available since you’ll want brushes to cut in and rollers for the larger open walls. Skimping on supplies could end up costing you in the long run. While there are economy rollers and brushes available, the pros say they tend to leave behind bristles and fuzz in the finished product. Opt for a bit upgraded to avoid messes.

Extension

Climbing on a ladder might be necessary through your project, but by purchasing an extension pole, you’ll save yourself a number of ups and downs with messy rollers and heavy paint. Reaching further toward the ceiling with your feet planted on the ground will speed up the process and create more safety. These are particularly helpful when you are dealing with vaulted ceilings or painting the ceiling itself.

Uniformity

More than likely you will be using more than one gallon of paint. Use a technique called boxing to avoid any minor inconsistencies within the paint colors by getting a large bucket, pouring them together and mixing. Most often, stores are spot on with their color mixing, but do you really want to risk a slight change from one wall to another?

If this all seems too overwhelming, our interior painters here to help. Schedule a free, in-home estimate with our team today.