How to Prep a Room for Paint

One of the most important steps when painting a room is preparing the room. In order to make sure that you get the job done right, be sure to spend plenty of time on the prep work. You’ll save money, time, and frustration with the right prep work. The crew at Handyman Connection of Lexington has put together a few steps for you to follow to help you properly prep the room for paint.

First you’ll need to completely clear out the room. That includes all furniture, lights, decorations, outlet covers, and anything else that you are capable of removing from the room. The more you can clear out, the better because you’ll have less clutter in the way and less of a chance of getting paint on something you don’t intend to get paint on. For items that can’t be moved completely out of the room, shift them to the center of the room and cover it all up really well in a plastic tarp. Place newspapers or another tarp around the edges of the floor so that the floor is protected as well.

After everything is cleared or covered up, do a really good thorough cleaning of the room. Remove cobwebs from the corners so that you can get an even coat of paint on without any debris getting in the way.

Cover up any holes or cracks in the walls with spackle to make sure that the paint is layered evenly and consistently. The spackle usually takes a couple of hours to dry, then you can sand it down.

After you’ve sanded the walls, it’s time to clean the walls too. You can mix together a wall cleaning solution such as water and a specific type of soap. Damp a large sponge in the solution and gently rub the sponge along the walls. Use a rag to catch any excess water that may drip down the walls and wipe it up.

After that it’s recommended to sand down all of the walls just before priming. This will help the paint get an even coat along the walls. Remove any dust from the sanding with a rag, and you’re just about ready to get to painting.

Apply a painter’s tape or a thick masking tape along the walls, floors, and molding. Take your time doing this as this will determine how straight your lines are when it comes time to paint.

Lastly, spot prime in any areas that are stained or have been repaired. Choose a prime color that is a similar color to the paint you’re about to use.

The crew at Handyman Connection of Lexington can help with any paint project or any home maintenance project large or small. If you have questions about prepping your room for paint or if you’d like to schedule an estimate for our experts to come take care of it for you, give us a call.