House painting advice from the experts

Are you thinking of giving your home a makeover by giving it tasteful splashes of color?  With these great tips from the expert painters, you too can hold the brushes with confidence and ease to create a masterpiece out of your home’s interiors.

Tip 1: Roll paint along the edges for consistent texture

Have you ever noticed that the narrow corners and areas near the trim that were painted with brush instead of a roller will have a different texture from the surrounding walls?  Using a brush will help you cut close and keep the paint within borders but running a small 3-inch roller on the surface will erase the brush marks and create a consistent and finished look.

Tip 2: Prime and texture wall patches to avoid a blotchy appearance

If you patched your wall with a filler or a drywall compound, you will notice blotches – areas with uneven sheen – once you have given it a fresh coat of paint.  This is due to the absorption of the paint by the porous fillers which make the surface look dull.  Painters call this problem “flashing.”  To eliminate flashing and create an even surface, simply apply a quick coat of primer. 

Tip 3: Cut the tape before pulling it

A well-known trick to getting a perfectly painted edge is to apply a tape along the trim then pulling it off when the paint is dry.  Pros recommend cutting slicing along the edge of the tape before pulling it off to prevent the dried paint getting torn off the wall.

Tip 4: To avoid lap marks, roll the full height of the wall

Lap marks are stripes on the wall that are formed when paint builds up in uneven layers due to rolling over partly dried paint.  To avoid lap marks, you need to maintain what expert painters call a “wet edge” so that every stroke of your roller will overlap with the previous stroke before the paint can start to dry.  Pros do this by painting an entire wall at one go instead of in sections by running the roller up and down the full height of the wall.