Investing in a new home can be an extremely expensive task. Not only do you have to worry about all of the extra, unexpected expenses such as furniture, cleaning and sometimes moving services, but likely your house will need some repairs or touch ups in order to make it truly yours. Painting is one of those ‘reparations’ that movers can do themselves and save significant money, this is because with a little bit of time and careful effort, a paintjob can not only look professional, but give your house some character that reflects you! Below are some tips for a first time house painter:
Plan out your colours
Different rooms in a house can call for different colours depending on who will be spending time in them and what sort of activities you will be doing. It’s a good idea to be cognisant of the overall feel of your house; in some cases it might be a good idea to employ a consistent theme throughout in order to make the house feel cohesive. At the end of the day it all depends on your preference, as your house should reflect your own style and personality.
Prepare effectively
There are a lot of factors that go into the preparation of painting a house. Some of the main things that you should be concerned with are skirting boards or power outlets, it’s important to cover up these and any edges of walls or floors with masking tape. This way you can paint freely without worrying about covering up any other surfaces unintentionally, this kind of preparation will help you in the long run.
You also need to make sure you grab the appropriate materials to help you actually paint the house. These materials can be anything from rollers and paint brushes to overalls and pallets, to tarps to lay down to protect the floor. Whilst these seem like unnecessary expenses that can drive your bill up, it’s important to invest in materials that you can use again and will help you finish the job quickly and effectively. It is also important to move your furniture to a safe place, this will allow you the space you need to complete the job, and will free you from the worry of getting paint on your furniture. Priming is perhaps the final stage in preparation for painting, by applying a primer coat first, you are ensuring that the your new coat is sealed on the wall and bonds together effectively, this is especially important if the wall has not been painted in a while.
Get Painting
It’s important to consult one of the many resources online about painting houses for beginners when wondering about the correct technique. Always make sure that you are being careful, it helps to have a friend or partner with you to assist you with using ladders or reaching tight spots. It’s also important to do a couple of coats when painting walls, this will ensure that any marks or previous colours from the past are completely covered, and (with the help of the primer) that the colour is preserved on the wall for a long time into the future. Make sure to use rollers for the majority of the wall and when it’s time to ‘cut-in’ (painting the fine edges of the walls after the tape has been removed) use smaller.
Ultimately, the most important thing in this whole process is the ability to be confident in your decision and consult the resources that are available to you. Mistakes are common for first time house painters, but like anything, you will learn as you go along.
