16 Mistakes To Avoid When Painting

As much as possible, people innately try to avoid making mistakes, although sometimes it can be difficult when you don't know know which actions might have adverse results. In the painting world, most mistakes aren't very forgiving, so to save from wasted time and energy, take note of these most commonly made painting errors. 

1. Skipping the tape.

Even the best painters can accidentally go off-line when painting. Grab some painters tape to get clean lines and edges. 

2. Skipping the surface preparation.

New paint won’t stick to glossy or dirty walls in bad condition. Take some time to properly prep, or you will have problems with your project later on.

3. Painting without priming.

Primer makes the paint adhere better, and makes your paint more vibrant. Going without it often leads to poor results. So for best results: use primer, or get a paint that is made to be used without primer. 

4. Brushing when you should be rolling.

Brushing larger areas tends to leave brush-stroke lines that show after the paint dries. For large interior areas, a roller will do a better job in less time. Select the right type of roller for the paint you’re using and try to avoid pushing the roller into the wall when you paint.

5. Being impatient.

After you fix the holes in the wall with a patching compound, it’s easy to want to sand and prime immediately; but make sure you let it dry completely before you do the next step. Otherwise you’ll have to re-do it all. Same goes for drying paint, make sure you follow the instructions for drying time before applying a second coat.

6. Failing to protect the floor.

When painting you can almost always expect to get paint on the floor, so before you open the can, make sure the floor is completely covered with plastic covering or a drop-cloth.

7. Underestimating the amount of paint needed.

Professionals say you need 1 gallon of paint for every 400 square feet. Plan ahead to avoid running back and forth to the paint store. Also, if you have to get another batch of paint, you run the chance of having the colors not match perfectly.

8. Assuming the walls are clean.

People don’t usually think to wash their walls before painting, but paint looks much better when it has a good, clean surface to adhere to. Wash your walls before painting and you will get better results.

9. Painting when the humidity is high.

When the air is humid it takes longer for paint to dry, so if the weather is more humid than usual, wait a day or two for the moisture to decrease.

10. Abusing paintbrushes.

Make sure the brush you’re using is in good shape. When you use an old brush with latex paint, wet your brush bristles with water and shake the brush dry before you dip it in the paint. The brush will hold more paint and deliver better results.

11. Buying any paint brush.

When choosing a paintbrush to use with latex paint, nylon or polyester bristles work best.

12. Forgetting paint build-up on pad edge.

When you use edge pads around ceiling edges and corners, make sure you frequently wipe off excess paint to avoid marking the surface.

13. Painting with furniture in a room.

Removing paint from your furniture is virtually impossible, so if you can’t move it out of the room, at least make sure it is covered with a drop-cloth.

14. Splattering door knobs.

Unless you like the look of polka-dotted door-knobs, we suggest you slip some plastic or some type of covering on them.

15. Painting the wall plates.

It only takes a couple minutes to remove the wall plates and tape around your light switches and electrical outlets. The results are well worth the extra few minutes.

16. Starting a painting project before getting all materials needed.

It can be very frustrating to get half-way through your project and realize you’re missing one of the necessary materials. So before you start, do a quick inventory and make sure you have everything you need.

Look over this list before painting to save from unnecessarily wasting time or materials. It’s worth it in the end to pay attention to these details.

Would you like a free estimate for your painting project? Hallco Painting services Howard, Montgomery and Frederick County; give us a call at 301-831-3679.