Home maintenance doesn’t have to stall during the cold and rainy season. There are many things you can accomplish inside during winter. For instance, it’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do for a room. Over the course of a weekend, you can make a big change in a room or several if it’s a smaller job.
Imagine a dining room with all cream or white walls. Want something to stand out? Try painting just one wall. An accent wall of deep forest green, or elegant burgundy could be just the backdrop you want for the crackled mirror or special painting. Painting one wall is super easy, too.
Home Maintenance Painting Steps
What you need. Tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) to clean and degrease the wall, rags, drop cloths, ladder for taller areas, a really good angled bristle brush, roller, handle with extension and paint tray. Choose top quality paint; don’t skimp on off brands. The superior color and wear will be worth it.
Prepare the wall.
Make a dilute solution of TSP and wash the walls to be painted. Don’t super saturate the wall; you want it clean and dry, not wet.
Edge in.
Most people know about this home maintenance step, but you’d be surprised at how many people try to skip it. It’s important to edge in your wall; make a 3-inch strip around all the edges of the wall with an angled brush. If you have a steady hand, instead of taping the opposing walls that won’t be painted, fill the bristles with paint and press the brush almost against the corner, allowing the paint to move off the brush just up and against the edge. Drag this line of paint carefully along, then sweep it towards the interior of the wall to be painted, until you have about a 3-inch painted border all around the wall.
If you don’t edge in first, but think you’ll edge in after you’ve rolled the walls you risk two things. One, you will be tempted to get closer to the wall’s edges with the roller than you should, creating a mess; and two, the edge between rolled in paint and edge will not be as neat and seamless as if you did it in the correct order.
Roll in.
The trick to a great roll-on paint job is not to over-saturate the roller. You want enough paint on the roller to create a solid, beautiful swathe of paint, but not drip, and not be so dry that you have to dip the roller repeatedly.
Check back for the next installment of our Home Maintenance set.
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