Pre-painting Tips from the Experts at MGP

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When you decide that you want something—exclusive VIP tickets to a concert, a trip to Alaska, an overhaul of your wood-paneled basement—you know, logically, that your acquisition of it depends upon some careful planning. If you forge ahead to The Last Frontier without consulting a travel agent, for instance, you could end up spending 23 hours a day in darkness in Denali. The same theory applies to a home painting project. Without proper preparation, you are likely to encounter problems later on. You want to avoid backtracking and redoing work, and most important, damaging your home permanently.

So where do you possibly begin when the renovation of your master bedroom, or even your entire house, lies ahead? Well, you can’t underestimate the virtue of patience. Though preparation takes time, it’s a necessity. So here’s some expert advice for those of you who are adventurous enough to dive into the DIY journey.

Take a Spin on the Color Wheel

Crucial, of course, is experimenting with color scheme before ever picking up a paintbrush. Turn to the insight of design experts: browse through the promotional booklets that paint companies provide to gain a sense of attractive color combinations. Consider how your room will look in comparison to the rest of the rooms in your home, as well as whether a darker paint might make already tight square footage seem smaller. You will also need to take into account the tastes of your neighbors and the style of your neighborhood. If you decide to decorate the exterior of your home in pumpkin orange, and then accent it with purple shutters and a yellow door, The Joneses might revolt. Are you ready to defend your rationale? Many paint stores sell small samples for a few dollars apiece so that you can test textures and shades before making a final decision. You can prime a section of an interior or exterior wall, apply decent-sized patches of various colors, and spend a couple of days thinking. Keep in mind that a color will present differently depending on the amount of artificial or natural light in a room.

You also want to investigate the different types of paint that might be appropriate to your project. Whether you go with latex or oil-based, convince yourself to buy a high-quality product. A cheaper paint could sentence you to days of layering coats to achieve enough coverage.

Stock Your Toolbox

When you are ready to roll up your sleeves, you should have on hand the right supplies to make your experience as manageable as possible. Invest in or borrow step stools or ladders, as well as a roller extender. You don’t want to injure yourself as you overeagerly try to get a job done before dusk or your children’s bedtime. In terms of your rollers, use masking tape to pull out any loose fibers before dipping them in paint. You can get rid of wayward bristles in your paintbrush as well by tugging on them until they dislodge.

Secure the Scene

The next step is to remove as many items as you can from the area in which you plan to work. Recruit family members to help you slide large furniture to the center of a room, and to carry out lamps and potted plants. For an exterior painting job, detach shutters, house numbers, and lanterns from shingles or siding. Drape anything you don’t want paint-splattered. Indoors, this means covering the floor, armchairs, ottomans, side tables, and artwork, and outdoors, the plants and flowers in your garden or along your walkways. While you may be tempted to sacrifice some old bedsheets for this purpose, fight off the urge—they are too thin to absorb paint, and will leave you with a mess. Use plastic sheeting and masking tape to seal off sections of a room or roof.

Scrubbing and Sanding

An imperative stage comes next: you need to clean the walls you want to paint, as paint won’t adhere to grimy surfaces. Rub off any dirt or mildew, and use a degreaser if necessary for stubborn oil spots near the stove or for children’s fingerprints. Scrape away peeling, buckling, blistering, or cracked paint, make sure all surfaces are dry, and then sand down rough spots. Fine-grit sanding paper will probably do for interior surfaces, while a power sander can simplify an exterior project. (Don’t forget your mask and goggles.) In the cases of both interior and exterior work, you might need to make some repairs, as well—maybe your drywall is damaged in places, or your wooden shingles are splintering. Once you have done your best to spruce up your work areas, you can start taping and priming to guarantee precise paint lines and a smooth canvas.

Final Touches

Don’t hesitate to add flourishes to your painting project that express who you are. Headstrong? Layer stripes over your base color, or choose an unconventional shade for your trim. Fond of freewheeling designs? Create framed artwork out of large swatches of funky fabric. Can’t afford new furniture, but aching for a change? A coat of turquoise or gold spray paint on an accent chair or chandelier could infuse the space with new life. And you may never have considered hanging artwork on the exterior of your home. You might like the idea of a woodsy or beachy backdrop to the rocking chairs or bench swing on your front porch.

All of the preparation you have invested in your renovation will guarantee a striking result. Just keep saying to yourself, “The effort is worth it!”

A Smart Alternative

What if you find yourself a day or two into the pre-painting stage of your project, and the pressure starts to descend? The best answer is to call MGP Painting, Inc. Offering interior and exterior house painting services, our painters will treat your home renovation as a priority mission. We will take care of every stage from surface preparation to extensive trim work, and protect your most valuable personal belongings from the creative process. We also use the finest quality paint available.

MGP Painting not only enforces the measures described above, but also offers flexibility with your schedule, speed and efficiency, and custom attention to the specific needs of your home or business. We even watch weather patterns in order to make the most informed decisions we possibly can about exterior painting jobs. On top of it all, our employees respect your space and your time with their courteous manners and extreme focus. We promise—you won’t mind having us around.

Any home renovation promises to involve a great deal of diligent, delicate work. If you live in Rockland County, Orange County, or the surrounding Hudson Valley area, and would like MGP’s professional, licensed and insured painters to accomplish your project for you, we would be thrilled to help!