This post was last updated on October 17th, 2022 at 09:42 am
The house of your dreams can start looking like a shabby shack after living in it for more or less a decade. You are probably sick of the décor that once brightened your day every morning, and that’s to be expected. Things that were once new and shiny are now rusty, withered, peeling, or lackluster due to wear and tear over time.
If your house doesn’t feel like home anymore, you know it is in dire need of a makeover. However, home renovation can be an expensive affair, and it’s hard to decide where to start. The quickest and easiest way to give your place a facelift is by adding a fresh layer of paint.
Fresh paint can instantly bring new life to a beat-up building and increase its aesthetic value; it is one of the most inexpensive methods to increase the resale value of real estate as well. Your home may require several repairs and replacements that cannot be conducted without a professional contractor or handyman.
However, you can take up a few errands around the house in order to cut down costs and be more involved in the restoration and/or transformation process. A DIY paint project is a perfect opportunity for a family to get together and unleash their inner artists.
The do-it-yourself approach to painting your place is one of the least risky maneuvers of home improvement. There’s a lot that could go wrong, but most errors can be fixed. You are absolutely capable of doing a wonderful job with painting the walls of your home, as long as you avoid these common DIY mistakes:
8 DIY Painting Mistakes To Avoid
1. Buying The Wrong Stuff
If you have never participated in a DIY paint project before, research is the key. You need to make a list of all the materials and equipment required to get the job done. You cannot just walk into a shop, randomly pick a few buckets of paint, pick the cheapest brushes, and then get to work. It is necessary to buy good quality products if you look forward to a good end result. You will find many home improvement blogs online for tips and guidelines.
2. Committing To Color Without Testing
The color shown in the paint catalog may appear slightly different than what you see after practical application. You may end up with a shade lighter or too dark, so don’t finalize a color in haste. The chosen color may also vary from surface to surface, so you must check out a few samples and swatch test on scraps.
3. No Clean-Up And Spackle
Any surface/wall you wish to paint needs to be readied in advance. The first step is to wash away accumulated dirt, grime, and grease. Also get rid of mold, termites, prominent stains, and other residues that could potentially ruin your hard work. If there are holes, cracks, or crevices in the walls, fill them up with spackle and even them out with a putty knife. Clean and uniform surfaces are the ideal canvas for painting over.
4. Skipping Sanding And Primer
Once the walls have been cleaned and gaps are filled, sand them over to eliminate lumps and bumps. Sanding before applying primer is important since it increases the porosity of the surface, thereby making it more absorbent. You may use finer sandpaper after applying primer to make the surface smoother. These steps ensure a fine and flawless finish, so it would appear that your place was painted by a pro.
5. Not Using Painter’s Tape (Or Leaving It On Too Long)
Cover the edges and all fixtures on the wall with painter’s tape to protect them from paint stains and splotches. Not using painter’s tape in a DIY project leads to an untidy end result, which is going to become a lingering disappointment, unless you get it fixed by a professional afterward; all the effort you put into saving money shall go to waste. Once you are done painting, don’t wait too long to remove the tape; otherwise, you will end up yanking too hard and pulling off a layer of paint with it.
6. Applying The Second Coat Too Soon
The rule of thumb is to let the previous layer of paint dry before you apply the next. Watching paint dry is not an exciting activity, so you should rest up between coats; wait at least 3 hours before applying the next layer. If you apply the second coat before the first one has dried up, you will end up with uneven coloring and streaks. The final texture of the painted surface is going to be coarse and rutted, which is unsightly, to say the least.
7. Rushing It And Not Taking Breaks
A DIY paint job must be executed with patience and calm. If your research suggests that you can complete the job in 2 days, reserve 3-4 days just in case. You are not a pro, so you could probably use a time extension. Painting is a strenuous task and a great workout for your arm muscles. When your arms and hands start to tire out, take a break rather than push yourself to exhaustion. Do not skip meals because you will need the energy to do a good job.
8. No Prior Planning And Prep
There are several things to take care of around the house before you can safely start painting. You need to work out a plan, such as what room is to be done first and if you’re going monotone. You should move your furniture into the center of the room and cover it up with waterproof material. You also need to change into spare clothes that you don’t mind getting stained and damaged; it is best if you cover your hair and wear eye protection as well; gloves too to keep your hands paint-free. The area to be painted should be off-limits to kids and pets because that never ends well.
Author Bio:
John Adams is a paralegal and lifestyle blogger who concentrates on health/fitness, life hacks, personal injury law, and home improvement. He encourages readers to fight for their rights and overcome obstacles holding them back. He believes that every person can improve the quality of his/her life by thinking positively and making better choices.
