Painting your home is a budget-friendly improvement that anyone can do, whether you’re about to sell, or just want to freshen the place up a bit.
A bright home is right at the top of buyer expectations these days, and creating a fresh, beautiful color scheme will turn heads. It can also go a long way to cheering you up if you feel you need a change.
My advice as a long time agent is to avoid big, bold colors and feature walls if you’re about to put your home on the market. Keep it light and bright as rooms always feel bigger with walls and whites and creams. These tones will not offend anyone and give you the best chance of selling your home at the best possible price.
There’s no doubt it does take a certain mentality of patience to paint correctly. It’s a lot of work and time-consuming, but the result is always worthwhile.
Below are some painting tips to consider. However, if you’re thinking of painting the exterior, consider hiring a professional with access to the appropriate scaffolding and ladders. It’s cheaper than a hospital stay if you get vertigo!
- Take time to prepare – Everyone says this, but it’s true. It’s also boring. But if you don’t clean the walls with sugar soap, tape over areas you wish to avoid and lay drop sheets accurately, you risk a second-rate job and damage from drips and spills.
- Less is more – Avoid the temptation to submerge your brush too deeply into the paint. It’s best to dip no more than a third of a bristle length. Slopping paint everywhere won’t make the task any quicker, and you won’t do the brush any favors, either. A build-up of paint near the base of the handle shortens the life of the brush.
- Hit the roof – There’s special, drip-free paint for ceilings, so make sure you buy the right product for that job.
- Repetitive process – If you’re painting new drywall or plasterboard, use an undercoat or you’ll be forced to paint at least three coats. Ask at the store for the best product on new plasterboard.
- Messy cans – If you’re not diligent about keeping your container clean, you’ll find unwanted paint in the most annoying places. Here’s a little trick for wiping off excess paint: take a screwdriver, wrap it in a cloth and run it along the rims of the paint can. That will stop paint dripping down the side when you put the lid back.
- Seal the deal – And here’s a clever technique for replacing the lid on your can, too. Cover the top of the can with kitchen plastic wrap. Then, push the lid down. To make it secure, use a hammer to seal it. This way, no paint will splash over you or the immediate area as the lid goes back on.
- Roll up, roll up – Storing wet paint rollers can be difficult. The best strategy is to wring them as dry as possible and put them in resealable plastic bags.
- Color blind – It’s annoying when you have old cans of unidentifiable paint. Avoid this frustration by daubing some paint on the lid. That way, when you go back to it weeks or months later you’ll know its color straight away.
- Color photography – Take a photo of the paint’s label and archive it for when you need to repaint in a couple of years’ time. It’s easy to forget the name of the color and its code. Manufacturers also change the names of paint all the time. Most suppliers can paint-match, but you’ll need to bring an exact sample of the color.
- Put pets away – Lock your pets away from where you’re painting. They’ll rub up against the can, get paint on themselves and walk it through the house – what a nightmare!