House Painting

Tips and Instructions for Do-It-Yourself House Painting

A do-it-yourself house painting project can be a fairly daunting task, however with a little bit of know-how, even the most inexperienced do-it-yourself-er can accomplish it. If this is your first time diving into the home improvement arena, these tips should help you begin. There are also step-by-step instructions for making your first do-it-yourself attempt a success.

Tips for successful do-it-yourself house painting

In order to make your first endeavor into house painting a success, there are a few things you should be aware of. Contrary to what one might think, color is not the most important thing to look for in paint. If you are doing an exterior painting job, look for paint that is specially formulated for outside use. If you are painting the interior of your home, some terms to know are semi-gloss, high gloss, and satin. These words refer to the finish of the paint. High gloss is the most durable, but very shiny and not appealing to some people. Semi-gloss paint is probably the most used in the interiors of homes, as it is easy to clean and available in many colors. Low or no VOC's are other terms you should be familiar with. VOC's are volatile organic compounds that are used in most traditional house paints. Besides the tell-tale odor, the toxins released when using this paint continue to be released into the air for years afterwards.

Instructions for do-it-yourself house painting

The first step when beginning any do-it-yourself house painting job is to remove the old paint. On the exterior, this is accomplished by using a paint scraper and a wire brush. It's not necessary to remove every last bit of old paint, just any places that are peeling, bubbling or cracked. On the interior, you don't need to remove the old paint, just sand down rough spots and move on to the primer.

After you've removed as much of the old paint as possible (exterior) and sanded any rough spots, its time to move on to the primer. Primer needs to be specific to the job, either interior or exterior. Additives that inhibit mold growth or odor are also available.

You should apply enough coats of primer to cover the old paint, usually one or two depending on the color of the existing paint. If you do more than one coat, be sure to allow enough drying time between coats.

The final step is to apply the colored paint. A power sprayer can be one option for exterior painting, but a roller works just as well, just a little slower; unless you are using a non-toxic paint, sprayer use indoors isn't probably a great idea. When using a roller, roll top to bottom for the smoothest finish. After you've finished rolling on the color, go back and paint around the trim with a smaller brush. You can also use the smaller brush to smooth out any lines from the roller. At least two coats of color are needed, if not more, to completely cover existing color.

Hopefully, using these tips and other on-line instructions will help your first endeavor to be a successful one.

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