Painting


So before I started painting I started googling painting. Below are some of the important tips I got:


  1. -Do not cheap out! Buy good quality brushes/roller covers/rollers.

  2. -Painting with a roller is very simple. Just make sure you keep a wet edge i.e. do not let the area you have painted dry out. Paint the entire wall before you take a break.

  3. -Always, always, always keep a wet rag with you. If you are new to painting you are likely to drip some paint here and there. Having a rag handy is awesome. Latex paint can easily be wiped out when it is wet.

  4. -Use good quality painter’s tape around moulding and trim. I know there are people who claim that painter’s tape is for sissy’s. Well then I am one :) With my recent (one room) experience I totally recommend using a good quality painter’s tape. It was easy to put on and came off without any bleeds.

Back

Painting a room is probably one of the easiest things one can do around the house. Recently, we decided to paint most of the rooms in our house. We chose the “guest room” as the starting point. Why you ask? Well because before we moved into this house the guest room was a nursery with dark glossy red paint and coloured circles drawn all over.


Things I learned through Experience:


  1. -Although most people suggest buying a decent roller cover (thats the sleeve you put on top of a roller) and then suggest washing it thoroughly under warm running water to get all the paint out, I disagree. Removing paint from a roller cover is a pain. Its just not worth saving the 5 bucks (you probably lose more in water and water heating costs during the cleanup process). It took me upwards of 10 minutes to clean one sleeve (and honestly the paint was still not all out). Here is what I suggest: use a sleeve for the same colour. If you need to change colours use a new sleeve. If you plan to use the same colour but after a few days gap clean it (doesn't have to be extremely thorough).


  1. -Painting with a brush is for professionals. Everyone else should use rollers. For edges do not bother using a brush, instead buy a small edge roller. I started using a brush but was not happy with the result. Went to Home Hardware and bought a cheap (4 bucks) edge roller. It did the job much faster and much smoother. (I regret cheaping out and buying the $4 edger, there was a much sturdier one for 7 bucks).

Paint all the edges (corners, electrical outlets etc) before you move to painting the main area of the wall.

The cheaper edge roller I got is actually called “Trim and Touch-up Roller’. While buying it I did not realize that this was a Shur-line product also. Later, I saw much better (sturdier) edge rollers at Home Depot.

Although I have no experience with paint the Home Depot Dude (he was quite helpful) said that the Dulux Primer works best. Another guy (he looked like a professional painter) seemed to agree to this statement. I used the primer and it did its job (but then I have nothing else to compare it against).

Products I used:


I bought the Shur-Line roller cover. The recommended NAP for Flat and Eggshell paint was 3/8’ so I got that. I think this is a 9.5inch roller.