Painting Tips Please!

K

kierank

Guest
Hi, I am in the process of purchasing a 2nd hand house. Its a three-bed three story townhouse. Its sale agreed at the moment so im probably getting a bit ahead of myself but what the hell..
It is about 3-4 yrs old and it has been rented out. I am buying it with some of the contents etc.. It needs a really good clean and to be pretty much fully painted ie. ceilings, walls, skirtings & doors etc. When/If we close on the sale I will need to get it renovated pretty quickly as I have a tenant lined up to take one of the rooms and I want to rent out the other room asap also.

Considering that the house is already fitted with carpets, laminated floors and furniture etc. can anyone offer me tips on painting etc and how NOT to make too much of a mess as I dont want to damage anything as I cant afford to replace any of it? I will be doing all of the work myself as the funds will be pretty stretched! Also considering that I am a first time buyer and this is all completely new to me, I would appreciate any advice regarding getting the place livable in a short space of time!

Thanks :)
 
There is really no rocket science to the whole re-decorating thing. Just spend some time preparing – the dust sheets you buy in B&Q are rubbish – basically oversized thin plastic bags. I’d recommended the real fabric covers (or old sheets) for your furniture, and then flattened cardboard stuck down with masking tape all around the perimeters of the room. If you’re painting the walls white you’d be as well to paint the ceilings in the same coloured white – that way you won’t be spending hours making sure the line where the two meet is totally perfect. Use good quality rollers and good brand paint (I like Dulux best). It may seem like a saving to buy cheaper paint at the off set, but the brand paints really do go on to the wall so much better. However, if you’re covering up strong covered paints then feel free to use the cheaper stuff for the undercoats – you’ll probably need so many of them!! Since you’ll have tenants in the house you may want to select a paint that will wipe clean easily, so stay away from matts. Finally don’t underestimate the time it takes to paint a whole house! You’ll be aching at the end of it all. My top tip is to invite all your friends and family around with their paint brushes and get in a few beers to keep the workers motivated. Good luck with the new house!
 
If you are painting your ceilings too, make sure you come down around half an inch from the ceiling to the top of the wall. This way you don't have to do two sets of edges. Just the wall edges.

PS See if you can get [FONT=ARIAL, HELVETICA]PX Professional Paint Brushes the walls. You can get them in woodies I think.
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A good tip i received from a professional painter - was to spend 80% of the time preparing and only 20% actually painting. by preparing he meant, filling gaps/uneven surfaces with polyfilla, sanding wood etc. Also if you are painting a light colour onto a darker colour wall e.g painting cream onto a wine wall, it would be worth your while to cover the wine with an undercoat of white/magnolia paint, before applying the cream paint. This will save you having to put extra coats of cream on.
 
milly123 said:
A good tip i received from a professional painter - was to spend 80% of the time preparing and only 20% actually painting. by preparing he meant, filling gaps/uneven surfaces with polyfilla, sanding wood etc.
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I would have to agree with that. You'll must avoid the temptation to get painting.
 
Thanks Everyone for all the great advice! Its much Appreciated!

Kierank :)
 
What should I was surfaces down with. Does sugar soap have to be rinsed off? I want something that I don't have to rinse off.
 
Shouldn't require any rinsing, just follow the instructions on the pack.
Leo
 
Hi Keirank.
Congratulations, and Good Luck in your new home.

Try using a thing called a "Paint Pad ", available in all paint shops. I detest brushes.

Instead of that awful masking tape use wide double sided tape ( sticky on both sides ), Mammoth is the brand name, also widely available. Because you will be using it with one side still covered with it's protective covering, it goes on much straighter than masking tape, as it is much firmer to handle, and won't tear.

Don't heed any of these people who'll be telling you not to ' waste paint ', who will be the same ones who will tell you when you are finished, that so and so "got their house painted for tenpence '

Don't use cheap paint. Get the best quality you can afford.

Don't go mad with colours until you are in the house a while and see how the natural light is, stay neutral until you know how rooms look, at different times of the day.

Don't try to do too much, too fast. Take plenty of time, go easy on yourself !
 
I recognise this post is 2 years old and Kieran K prob has the house painted 10 times over ;-) but for others. DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT use those paint pads. Use a paint brush, even if you are useless at painting and want to give it a go. Go to the least used area that you are painting and practice there. Cant see the logic in using double sided sticky tape, it wud catch the brush and pull it off no?? Masking tape is the way to go. Not tryin to criticise the last poster but this is just my opinion. Also, getting used to the brush is good especially when you have to get into tight corners where those pads wont reach.
 
I use a 1" brush for the cutting in at the edges and then a roller. Faster than a brush and, in my view covers better.

I also use a small foam roller for applying gloss paint to flat wooden surfaces; produces a very good finish.
 
Also, a basic tip, paint skirting and doors first, then walls. Gloss cannot be wiped off walls with a wet cloth, but standard paint can be wiped off glossed surfaces.
 
Hi philboy,
I hadn't noticed that the post was so old.

I suggested that he try the Paint Pad. I know it is not for everyone, but it saved my sanity when I did my first house from top to bottom, by myself.

In my experience is that it is fast, not messy, and makes a perfect line between wall and ceiling. There are different sizes for different jobs. I will never ever take a paintbrush or roller in my hand again. To my mind, professional painters have their money well earned !

With regard to the double sided sticky tape - I said to only use one sticky side. The protective backing on the non exposed side means the tape is firmer when attaching - it does not stretch, or break, or come off in little bits. It will stick to anything and comes off in one piece. I can mask yards of skirting, and door frames or what ever, accurately and completely, in half the time time I'd spend fusthering around with that vile, stretchy, limp masking tape, that misses little bits.

Again, this is just from my own experience. If one finds they prefer the brush and rolller, good for them. But to me they are little instruments of torture.

Out of curiosity, why don't you like the Paint Pad ?
 
lots of good points here - most important ones are :

paint skirting first as you can get paint off oil based paint but not off the wall if u make a mistake

sand sand sand !!! im doing my own house at the moment and its coming out beautiful, and the biggest single reason is the preperation
 
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