Home Decor & Design – Guide To Painting Your Home – words Alexa Wang
It’s that time of year again, when we not only give our homes a spring clean, but also perhaps give it a fresh new look. In order to do this you will probably want to start by giving it a lick of paint. But, if this is the first time you have attempted the task yourself, you may be wondering where to start!
You’ve had swatches on the wall for the last few weeks and have finally settled on a colour. But, before you start splashing the paint on, here are a few things you need to know first in our Guide To Painting Your Home:
Safety Tips
- Firstly, ensure you have adequate ventilation by opening all the windows before applying paint products.
- Wear the right safety gear – if you are using spray paint or there is a lot of dust then make sure you wear safety goggles, gloves and a dust mask.
- Remove everything you can from the room and cover anything that is left with dust sheets.
- Wear protective clothing – cotton overalls are best, but definitely avoid wool, as the fibres will stick to the paint.
How do I know what paint to use?
Water-based emulsion paints are perfect for your interior as they are cleaner, better for the environment and don’t smell as strongly as other types of paint.
Matt and silk are the most popular finishes, but in total you have six options: matt finish emulsion, silk finish emulsion, one-coat emulsion, eggshell, durable emulsion/satin, light reflecting emulsion or magic white emulsion.
You will need specialist paint for certain areas of the house including; radiators, floors, furniture, doors, doorframes and skirting boards. You also don’t want to use emulsion in the kitchen or bathroom where there is condensation, grease, humidity and moisture. Specialist kitchen and bathroom paint resists moisture and cooking stains.
If you’re painting objects or areas that are likely to be exposed to heat – log burners, chimneys, engines or BBQs for example – then it is recommended to use heat resistant paint.
It is recommended that you don’t use emulsion for any exterior work – as specialist exterior paint has been formulated to deal with various weather conditions.
The jelly or solid form of non-drip emulsion is particularly good for ceilings – however do not stir this, as it will lose its non-drip quality.
What other products do I need?
- Primer – this will seal the walls and provide you with a base for the paint to adhere to. There’s a useful guide to priming paint here.
- Brushes and Rollers – ensure you remove any debris from these before you start, or you will get more than paint on your walls!
Tips and Tricks
- Use an online calculator to help you work out how much paint you need to buy.
- If you are painting the walls and ceilings, then do the ceilings before the rest of the room, because you are more likely to get odd drips on the walls.
- When painting the ceiling it will need to be prepared, cracks filled, sanded down (if necessary) and you should also mask off the light fittings too.
- Rollers are good for covering the whole wall and smaller brushes for the edges – remember to brush before rolling!
- You can use masking tape to get a neat edge where different colours meet.
- The number of coats needed depends on the paint and what you are painting – always leave the paint to dry between coats!
When you have finished….
When you are cleaning emulsion brushes, use newspaper to wipe away any excess paint, and then use water and soap to clean them before rinsing them under warm water and patting dry with a paper towel.
