Anyone can paint. What separates a great paint job from an average one is the prep work! We interviewed local paint contractor and The Sibley Group’s preferred vendor, John Arce, of John Arce Painting Co. He gave us a few tid bits from his 30+ years as a paint contractor that we thought we would share with you!
Important Tips for DIY’ers
Step 1: First, you should take everything off the walls. Move all furniture to the middle of the room and cover it with light plastic.
Step 2: Next you’ll need a runner (also known as a narrow drop cloth) to catch any paint drips or roller splatter. Not all drop cloths are made equal and you want to make sure yours won’t let any paint get through onto your flooring. John recommends a butyl-backed drop cloth to keep your floors safe.
Step 3: Fill any holes that will not be re-covered with a shrink free spackle. Depending upon the size of the holes you are filling, you may choose to use a putty knife to spread the spackle or simply use your finger.
Step 4: After the holes are filled John recommends lightly sanding the entire wall with a sanding pole. As a result, small imperfections will be removed and the newly sanded wall will provide a sound substrate for your new paint. (This is an important step a lot of people skip)!
Important Tools for DIY’ers
Step 5: Next you need to make sure you have the right tools.
A) The brush: The experts recommend having a three inch brush to “cut in” your walls. This process involves painting a small area just below your trim and above your base board. You’ll essentially be painting two long stripes around the room before allowing your paint roller to handle the rest of the wall. (John recommends a three inch Purdy Sprig brush, preferably the stiff version). If you can paint a nice straight line, there is no need to use painters tape to tape off the trim, light covers, outlets, etc. The brush we recommended will be helpful in painting a straight line. If you’re not confident in your skills, you may want to consider taping off the edges.
B) The roller: You’ll also need a roller cover and roller to paint the large area of your walls. For your roller covers, try the Purdy Colossus. It holds paint well and will minimize roller splatter! Choose the half inch thick nap. Be sure to grab some painters tape and wrap it around your roller cover before painting. After removing the tape from the roller, you will remove any loose fibers from the roller so they won’t get stuck in your paint.
Step 6: Finally, it’s time to paint! We warned you the best paint jobs require a significant amount of prep. Professional painters prefer to roll out of a five gallon bucket for one main reason. Most paint jobs require more than one gallon of paint. Even though the paint cans are made with the same color formula, there will always be slight differences in the color. Use the five gallon bucket and mix all of the paint together to ensure the color looks consistent.
Have You Changed Your Mind About Being A DIY’er?
If all of this sounds like way more hassle than you intended, give an expert a call. The Sibley Group recommends John Arce Painting Co. Good luck in your paint efforts!
