Interior house painting

Although it’s relatively easy to paint over existing paintwork in the house a few simple precautions before you begin will make the job go a lot easier.

First thing is to have everything you need to hand before you start. Measure the room and take the measurements to the paint store to get the right amount and kind of paint you will need.
Next is to clear the room as much as you can, then the bigger items, such as sofas, cupboards or beds can be put in the middle of the room and covered with thick dust sheets.

If you want to keep the floor paint free then cover every inch with dustsheets.
All old wallpaper should be stripped off and bagged as you go to save you from treading it in and tramping it all over. Old paper when it is wet and on the floor will stick to your feet, so use a paint scraper to keep your shoes clear and keep pushing it into a pile to be bagged.
When the walls are clear of paper and have dried enough then fill all holes and cracks and sand down smooth.
All woodwork can be sanded and filled ready for painting.
Bare new plaster should be sealed first with a watered down coat of the paint you will be using, or any light coloured emulsion can be used for this first sealing coat.

After it has dried look across the walls to see if you have missed any filling that needs doing. If the walls are satisfactory then put two more coats of well stirred emulsion on the walls leaving the first coat to dry for about two hours in summer, or longer in winter.
Some walls, especially in winter take a long time to dry. Warming the room and having air moving over the paint will help with the drying process.
Do not be tempted to paint until fully dry, you’ll be wasting your time as the paint won’t take and you could cause problems that will have to be sorted out after the paint has dried.
When rolling the walls with a long handled roller, using a medium pile roller will be quicker, but you will have to lightly roll back over your work as you go along to take out any hard paint lines.
Using a thin pile roller will make smooth paintwork but will take a long time as they don’t hold much paint and you will still have to re-roll back over your work to take out the lines in the paint.
Rough pile rollers are only for very rough surfaces such as pebble dash and cement on the outside.
Cut in around the edges as you go using a two or two and a half inch brush, bristle is best, the man-made fibre brushes are not that good.

Loosening light and power switches to paint behind makes for a better job.
Rolling walls will cause paint to rain onto the tops of the skirting boards, so when dry give a quick sand down again, otherwise you will have paint spots all along the top of the skirting boards.
New wood must be primed and filled. A water based primer dries in a few hours. A fine sanding between coats will make a better finish. Then undercoat and gloss the woodwork.
Water based paints dry in a few hours so it is possible to paint the room in a day. Oil based paints need to be left overnight to dry before the next coat can be put on, otherwise the finish coat will sit on the undercoat that hasn’t dried properly and all sorts of problems can occur, like cracking, crazing and large areas of paint lifting off.
You can tell if gloss has been put on to a still wet undercoat by running your fingernail along the paint, it will come off easily. This kind of paintwork will all have to come off by sanding a scraping then starting over again. So always leave the paint to dry properly between coats.

When the painting has been finished, any over-painting can be touched up.
Keep the dust down while glossing because gloss attracts dust and particles.
Put the furniture back after the paint has dried.
Water based paints can be cleaned off with warm soapy water.
Oil based paints have to be cleaned off with white spirit and then warm soapy water.
Always stir the paint really well before use.
Don’t overfill the paint tray or it will spill over.
Keep your work area clear or you will put your foot in it.
Dogs, cats and children will be attracted to wet paint.
Make sure there is proper ventilation while painting so as not to be overcome by the fumes.
Use the best materials and tools you can afford.
Wet rollers can be put in a plastic bag overnight to be ready for use in the morning. If kept airtight a roller can be left for up to a week in a bag before it dries.
Emulsion brushes are washed out in soapy water, flicked dry, then put masking tape around the bristles to hold the shape until dry.
Gloss brushes can be left in water up to the top of the bristles until the work is finished, then cleaned in white spirit and washed well in warm soapy water, then tape while they dry to hold their shape.
Rags soaked in white spirit must be disposed of properly to reduce the fire risk.
Clean all paint spills before they dry.
Following these guidelines will enable you to work better and produce a finish to be proud of.
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