REMODELING ARTICLE - INTERIOR PAINTING

There are four phases to any painting job.

Phase 1: Planning

Step One: Choosing the colors is very important. Styles of furniture, floor coloring, how light or dark you want the room are all factors when choosing a wall, ceiling or trim color for your room.
Step Two: How to paint the room. Do you paint ceiling, walls or trim first? Usually I paint the ceiling first. The ceiling is messy and the most difficult to roll. If your ceiling is smooth or lightly textured use a smaller nap* roller pad. A quarter inch up to half inch nap roller cover will work. If your ceiling is textured you will need to go to a heavier nap roller to penetrate the rough surfaces -- three quarters of an inch to one inch roller cover. Also if your ceiling is a “popcorn” type,** using a brush and roller is extremely difficult. I always use a airless paint sprayer to paint this type of ceiling.
Next paint the walls. If your existing wall colors have a semi gloss finish or are darker than the color you will be painting, you will need to prime them first. I suggest using Benjamin Moore’s Fresh Start Primer. It is a little more expensive than other brands but well worth it in time. Any water, ink, or crayon stains that can not be removed through cleaning will need to be painted with stain blocking primer. I suggest Benjamin Moore’s QD30, it is an excellent stain blocker. Unless your walls are covered with stains you will only need a pint of this to paint over just the stained areas.

Last, paint the trim. Most trim is painted in gloss or semi gloss finish. This will require sanding or scuffing with light grit sand paper (180 to 220 grit is fine) before primer is applied. Paint one coat primer or flat paint tinted to the final coat’s color. Paint the final coat in semi or gloss finish with one or two coats.
Step Three: What materials and tools will I need? How much paint do I need? Through your planning you have found the different materials you will need, roller covers, types of paint, primer, sand paper. You will also need rollers with extension poles, roller pans or a five gallon bucket grate, a few 2-inch to 3-inch brushes, lots of drop cloths, masking paper, plastic and tape, some music and possibly an A-frame ladder.
The amount of paint you will need depends on the product line you use, the square footage, and the condition of the surfaces. I suggest going to your local paint store and asking a sales person for their opinion. Benjamin Moore, Daly's’s and Parker paints all have stores in most of the cities in our area. All three of these brands make a high quality product that professionals feel comfortable using.

Phase 2: Preparation

All sanding or scuffing should be done first. Most likely this is just for the trim and moldings. Remember to lay drops on the floor to minimize cleaning time. The idea behind sand and scuffing is to roughen the surface to allow a better paint bond. Make sure all areas are prepared. There is usually no need to remove the old paint unless it is losing its bond and flaking off. Once you are finished open the windows, dust the walls and vacuum the floor.

Next mask the floor. Use twelve to twenty inch wide masking paper and one and a half inch blue masking tape. Tape the masking paper to the base of the floor where the trim and floor meet all the way around the room. Then lay drops in the middle of the room so they over lap on to the paper.

Caulk any cracks in the corners where walls meet or where the trim or moldings meet the walls and ceilings. Use a latex type paintable white or clear caulk. Use interior spackle for any small nail holes or cracks in the middle of walls or ceilings.

Phase 3: Painting***

You have already planned this out so it should be easy. Remember when painting, all areas should be covered twice. Start with a paint brush and paint all the edges in first then come back with a roller and fill in the middle. Make an “N” on the wall or ceiling with your roller. Then with more paint on your roller, paint over it by rolling up and down, moving left to right then right to left. Repeat this pattern across the wall or ceiling. Then go back over the whole surface with a light coat by rolling up and down across it.

When painting the trim. Use long straight brush strokes. Go with the grain of the wood whenever possible and do not overload your brush with paint. When choosing a brush find one that is comfortable in your hand -- it will be there for a while. Buy the more expensive one. Using cheap equipment always shows in the final product.

Phase 4: Clean up and touch up

Of course, you have to clean up after you are finished. But remember leave a little bit of paint, spackle and caulk available as you clean. You will most likely find little flaws in the your job while cleaning.This is normal so just touch them up as you go.

Use mineral spirits for cleaning brushes used for oil-based paints. Cool water for latex and warm water and soap for acrylic latex paints. When storing leftover paint, be sure to label what it has been used for in case you need it for touch-up in the future. Store in a cool dry place that does not drop below freezing temperatures.

Notes:
* Nap is the depth of padding on the roller cover.
** The reason it is called a “popcorn” type ceiling is that it looks as if some one blew popcorn pieces all over it and then painted.
***Please read the back of the paint can for application, safety and disposal instructions.