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How To Paint Like A Pro: Finishing Up
Admin • Oct 18, 2023
Cleanup
- Clean your Brush PROMTLY! You can never use to much water when cleaning brushes! A great brush should last through several jobs. Even years! A brush comb and brush spinner are helpful too. Hang to dry. Clean your roller covers too! Properly cleaned roller covers can be reused several times. I know one contractor who used the same roller cover on 10 houses and got perfect results every time.
- Remove the Painter’s Tape. Remove the tape by pulling the loose end back over the tape still on the surface to minimize removal of the paint on the surface. Peel off the tape while the paint before paint has dried completely, ideally about an hour after you’ve finished painting, to avoid accidentally removing any dried paint along with it. Leaving the painter’s tape on too long is one of the most common painting mistakes people make.
Drying Time
- Follow the manufacturer’s drying instructions, which you’ll find on the can, to make sure the paint is completely dry before applying second coat if needed.
- Different kinds of paint dry at different speeds—and they’ll feel dry to the touch before they’re ready for you to lay on an extra coat. A latex-based paint will feel dry to the touch in about an hour, and be ready for a second coat in four hours. An oil-based paint takes six hours to feel dry, and you should wait a day to apply a second coat.
- Dry time and cure time are different. Dry time is when the paint feels dry to the touch, while cure time is longer, typically 7—10 days. During the cure time, care should be taken to avoid brushing up against the painted areas to avoid marking or burnishing the finish. As the paint cures, it obtains its full hardness and durability.
Step 1.Clean the Walls
Some painters line the paint tray or bucket with a plastic liner. We love paint buckets that have a handle that fits your own size hand. Ones with a magnet built in to hold your paint brush or roller are great. We like to always prepare a roller by wetting it with water then use a brush and roller spinner or wrap in a towel to remove excess moisture. This sets up the fibers in the roller to pickup and release the paint. It also leaves water at the core so that it is easier to clean the roller. Use a light touch. Applying too much pressure on your strokes will cause the paint to ooze out of your brush or roller and drip. Don’t load the applicator with too much paint. This will result in drips and heavy lines on the walls, and you’ll risk getting the bristles of your brush caked with dried, crusty paint. Cutting in is painting the areas the roller won’t reach. We like to use a 2 1/2” angle sash brush. Brush on paint around the trim and in the corners of the walls with the brush. Extend out 2 to 3 inches from windows, doors, and moldings. ALWAYS KEEP A WET EDGE! This means do one 3’-5’ section of wall at a time not a whole room. I do the top half of the wall and then repeat with the bottom sections. Start by painting the top edge with your brush and then the corners in this section. (Keeping a wet edge is critical to avoid lap marks and “hat banding”. These occur when you cut in too far ahead of rolling the area and the cut in paint has dried.
Step 1.Clean the Walls
Getting ready to redecorate and need to remove wallpaper from the walls? Wallpaper removal may sound like a huge task, but follow the proper techniques and removing wallpaper is actually very simple.
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