DIY Painting Basics

Did you know that painting is the one thing that will make the biggest impact to your home for the least amount of money? A fresh coat of paint can transform your home from drab and dreary to fresh, clean, bright and updated.

If you are thinking about selling your home, then it would be in your best interest to give your home a fresh coat of paint inside and out if you can afford it. It could mean the difference between a quick sale or no sale or an asking price offer from a low ball offer.

Here are a few things you can do to give your home that fresh, well taken care of, upgraded look.

You will need:

• Stepladder
• Screwdriver
• Angled sash brush
• Wide paintbrush and paint roller and tray
• Extension pole for paint roller
• Paint
• Painter’s masking tape
• Cleanup rags and drop cloths to cover the floors and furniture etc.

What To Do:

• Scrape away old layers of paint if necessary
• Remove wallpaper if necessary
• Sand the imperfections
• Fill any nail holes with putty
• Apply your primer coat
• Cover the floors, furniture and anything you don’t want to get paint on
• Remove hardware – light switch and plug covers, curtain rods etc.
• Cover all the trim with masking tape
• Paint a three inch strip of paint out from around the top and bottom of the trim using your angled paint brush because you won’t be able to get that close to the trim with a roller
• Now take your roller and fill in the remaining wall areas that need painted. You can use a paint brush but it will take much longer and won’t look as smooth as when you use a roller
• The best way to cover the roller with paint is to fill the paint tray with paint. Then dip your roller into the deep end of the tray then roll it over the ribbed section of the tray to cover the roller evenly. Now you simply take your evenly coated roller and roll up and down the wall making vertical lines. Then take the roller and paint right to left diagonally across the vertical lines you just painted and this will give you an even finish
Their are so many small and simple things you can do for your home, to give it those finishing touches. Do the little things now and the next thing you know you will be packing and getting ready to move into your new home.

Thanks for Reading,
The Inman Team