The adage, “Prevention is better than cure,” holds a lot of meaning to every aspect of our lives. This includes painting our walls as well. Before you decide on the paint colour and pattern of your walls, you need to prepare your walls well to get the results you desire after you have completed the task.
What are some of the prerequisites you have to watch out for a while preparing your walls for painting? Keep reading to know more about the same.
Clean the walls thoroughly
According to experts, cleaning the walls thoroughly before you paint them is a must, especially if the walls are in the bathroom or kitchen. You can use sandpaper, electric sanders, or paint scrapers to clean away the flaky paint residues on the walls. Scrape off any grease marks, crayon marks, stains, or other imperfections you find on the walls, to ensure you have a clean and even surface for painting.
For walls prone to oils and stains (usually the ones found in the bathroom or kitchen), you can wash them thoroughly with a detergent solution to get rid of the stains. Remember to get rid of mildew on the existing surfaces before you paint the walls. If you are going to paint on the walls that have been previously painted with glossy paints, you should smooth them before painting. For walls that have been water-painted and oil-painted previously, you can use proper grits of sandpaper to get rid of the imperfections.
Use a primer
Once you have washed the walls thoroughly, give them enough time to dry completely before proceeding to the next step, which is applying the primer. Many people underestimate the importance of a primer. However, when you don’t use a primer, you allow your walls to soak up a lot of pain. As a result, you will not get the desired results, despite applying many coats of paint.
Using a primer and covering the walls with a sealer is a must before you start painting. You can use water-based primers for dry walls, whereas for oily or greasy walls, you can use oil-based primers with an undercoat to get rid of all imperfections.
Remove previous wallpapers, if any
Many people don’t mind painting over the wallpapers. However, that’s not the right way to paint your walls. The wallpaper seams can be easily visible even through the highest quality of paint. So, you should use a stripping knife to scrape the wallpapers without damaging the walls. You can also soak wallpapers in hot water so that it easy to peel them off. If you don’t have the tools to remove the wallpaper, you should contact a reputed and experienced painting contractor in your area to do this work professionally.
Choice of colour
Choosing the right colour for your walls is one of the most important prerequisites you have to plan for before painting your walls. Bring home swatches you like from the paint store, and test them on your walls on small patches. This will give you an understanding of choosing the right colours to match your home’s lighting and interior décors.
