It’s common for a home to pick up a few scrapes and scratches over the years as part of the wear and tear of home life.
Walls accumulate chips and knocks while ceilings can attract stains from leaks fixed long ago, smoke stains from log fires and even insects squished in panic.
If you own an older property or apartment, and you’re thinking of putting it on the market, then a few hours of painting will hide years of bumps and marks on walls and ceilings.
As a local agent with years of experience, getting the ceiling painted is a relatively inexpensive improvement to your home. It might not increase the asking price, but it will enhance the impression your home will give prospective buyers and ensure your home sells promptly.
If you have the time and patience for painting, then it’s a good idea to complete the work a few weeks before putting your home on the market. You don’t want buyers walking through the property and inhaling paint fumes.
Here are some tips to make sure even if you take on the job yourself, the end result looks professional.
- Use ceiling paint – Avoid white paint intended for walls. Ceiling paint has a different consistency and should not drip. When you’re at the shop, get the right paint for the job.
- Don’t get ‘stucco’! – Stucco or popcorn ceilings can be tricky. Sometimes this ceiling texture can fall off in sheets when you start to paint it. So, test-paint a small section, and go slowly. Stucco ceilings really date a property. Get rid of it, if you can.
- Roll in one direction – With ceilings, always keep a wet edge when rolling. That way, you’ll avoid streak marks. Undertake small sections at a time, and move quickly from one section to the next to maintain that wet edge. Be warned: it’s hard work on your shoulders and neck. If you need a second coat, roll at right angles to the first coat.
- Let there be light – It’s best to paint with daylight. Getting this job done in the evening after work, and having only a ceiling light to illuminate the room, makes accurate painting a challenge. The more light, the better.
- Ceiling dealings – It’s so easy to use a roller on a wall and bump the ceiling. To avoid this, run a horizontal strip of tape about six inches from the top of the wall. Use a brush or small roller to paint this buffer zone.
- Floor it – While on the topic, it’s the same deal with the floor as the ceiling. Create that buffer zone, so you don’t bump the floor or carpet with your roller.
- Pet subject – Keep the pets away. They might knock over a paint can or rub up against a wall of wet paint, spoiling the finish and spreading paint everywhere.
- Under cover – Use drop-sheets to cover your floors and any furniture that you were not able to move out of the way. Be diligent, and you won’t have any regrets about furnishings being ruined by paint that flicked off the roller or dripped from your brushes.