House painting is simple right? You just grab a paintbrush, pick a colour, grab a tin of paint and off you go. What could go wrong?
Well unfortunately, lots can go wrong. Like anything in life, the most seemingly simple jobs are often the trickiest to get right. Lots of the house painting jobs we get asked to carry out are to correct painting mistakes that people have made when painting their homes themselves. Here we look at the most common house painting mistakes so that we can help you to get it right before irreparable accidents happen!
Most Common House Painting Mistakes
1. Choosing the Wrong Paint Colour
One of the biggest painting mistakes can happen before you even pick up a paintbrush. Choosing paint based on the sample you find on a paint card in store is sometimes the first problem people encounter because they don’t realise how different the colour will look when applied to a wall. The colour you see on a paint tin/sample strip never looks the same on the wall at home because of numerous factors, from lighting to number of coats, wall texture and everything in between.
2. Not Protecting Furniture and Floors
This sounds obvious but you’ll be surprised how many people make one of the most basic house painting mistakes. Move all of your furniture into the centre of the room, tape off edges and ensure the furniture and carpets/floorboards are properly covered. If you use an old bed sheet it’s likely that the fabric is too thin and won’t properly protect or do its job. Paint can be a potent substance and it can filtrate porous fabrics and cheap sheets, destroying the furniture underneath. By not investing in proper heavy duty dust sheets and covering everything in the room before starting to paint the walls, you can make a mess before you even get the first lick of paint on the wall.
3. Forgetting About Drying Times
Drying times can also impact the look of interior paint (and the moisture content of said paint can influence drying times), so paint that’s been sitting in a paint tin for several years could look vastly different on the wall because it’s just drying too fast after you apply it. This makes ‘touching up’ walls a problem because once you start painting the odd spot here and there, you’ll notice that the colour of paint from the old tin in the garage looks decidedly different to the colour already on the wall.
4. Not Correcting Wall Texture
The surface texture of a wall is often a cause of touch-up problems and can cause painting mistakes to occur if you don’t prep the wall properly. Never cut corners when it comes to preparation! Take the time to sand the walls and iron out any nail marks, feathering or rough spots (don’t forget wooden skirting boards and door frames) to ensure that the surface of the wall is as smooth and blemish free as can be before painting.
It’s also prudent to remember that different application methods and techniques can produce a slightly different surface texture which can cause differences between original painted areas and newly painted walls. This might make a marked difference between how paint looks on a wall in comparison to the ceiling for instance, leaving a less than perfect finish.
When looking to paint your walls at home it’s important to think about how many coats of paint are required -this will not only help to regulate the texture of the wall but will give a smoother effect and more professional finish. The ability of paint to obliterate the background of a wall is to do with its opacity. If an original coat of paint is applied too thin or overspread, it won’t fully hide the surface below and so will prove a costly painting mistake which you’ll kick yourself for making.
5. Ignoring Room Temperatures
When painting your walls do you ever think about the temperature of the room you’re painting? Ensuring that the room you’re working on is at the right temperature before you start is half the battle. Drying with temperatures that are too low or too high could mean cracking and peeling for the paint whether you are painting the interior or exterior of the house.
Freezing temperatures means that paint can’t dry properly, will only partially dry and can easily come off when touched. Trying to leave each coat to dry in cold temperatures will make the job all the harder for you!
Similarly, if you are painting in the heat of the summer or in an overly-heated house you’ll find that the paint dries too quickly and will bubble and slough off before it settles. If painting outside, direct sunlight can affect paint so it is best to avoid painting in the midday heat. Yes, even here in Exeter! For an oil-based paint the best temperature to apply is between 40 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit and for latex-based paints, it’s 50 to 85 degrees.
If you are thinking about painting your house, we hope that you’ll try and avoid these common house painting mistakes. Better still, why don’t you get Exeter’s favourite painting and decorating company to do it for you!? Less mess, less hassle and a professional job from start to finish. Get in touch for a free quotation, we look forward to helping you transform your living spaces!