Painting a Room For The First Time

Enjoy your home improvement projects, there is certainly no need for tesrs

You want To paint your home and you have never tackled anything this big before.Read these few useful tips first. I'm sure you know many people who will give you advice along the way.

If the space is limited, then pale colours make it appear bigger. Brighter or deeper colours can be used in larger rooms without feeling hemmed in. Likewise, if the room does not get too much light, then, lighter colours in an eggshell paint will help to reflect light and brighten the place. Try not to use white, though, it tend to look cold and clinical - and it very quickly becomes grubby. Another reason to use eggshell paint is that it does accept the occasional wipe down. Very useful if you have young children.

Having chosen the colours you are going to use (No mean feat with all those colour paint charts to choose from), the next decision is whether to employ a contractor to do the work or do it yourself. Painting the walls is an easier route if you are doing it yourself. Wallpaper is generally more expensive that paint so if you find you hate the finished product it is less of a disaster.

The key to a good finish is preparation-preparation-preparation. Clear the space of as much furnisher as possible before you start. Cover the rest with at least two layers of cloth. Make sure you adequately protect any floors and carpets. All surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned in order to get rid of any grease that has accumulated over the years. Next fill all the small cracks and holes with filler, several layers may be required for larger holes. The filler will usually shrink as it dries. When the plaster is thoroughly dry (at least 24 hours,) rub it down thoroughly with sandpaper  so it is very smooth. Next, smooth all the woodwork with sandpaper. Make sure the woodwork is smooth and dust free, where possible cutting right back to bare wood.

It is generally better to work from the top down. Paint the ceiling first. Wait until it fully dry before starting on anything else. Next place masking tape at the very edge of the ceiling so that you get a very straight line when you paint the walls. Do not leave the masking tape on for to long, it will be difficult to get off without damaging your newly painted ceiling.

Using rollers rather than brushes for the large areas will usually give a more uniform finish. Although you will probably have to give it two or perhaps even three coats ot paint to get the depth of colour you want, even so the roller will use les paint that a brush, it will dry faster, go on much faster and therefore, even though you are applying more than one coat it will still be faster.

Next comes the woodwork. Again, mask the walls where they meet the woodwork. Then using a small paintbrush give the woodwork an undercoat. The undercoat will help the top coat to adhere better and will therefore last longer. It also gives a much smoother final finish if the undercoat is lightly sanded. Woodwork is usually painted with gloss paint. This washes easier and takes the considerable amount of touching that woodwork gets. Do not try to put too thick a layer on at one time. It will run, and look horrible. Multiple thinner coats are always better. Always make sure that the paint is dry before applying the next coat

To save you having to repeatedly wash your brushes every time you stop painting, you can wrap your brushes tightly in clingfilm.It prevents air getting to them and will stop them drying out. Even after you have thoroughly cleaned your brushes, it is still useful to wrap your brushes. There are always occasions when you need to make good you decorations after disasters, so always keep any left over paint

Always paint window frames when the windows are slightly open. There's nothing worse that painting a window frame and then finding you can't open the window!  This also applies to doors. When painting doors, the rule is that you paint those parts of the frame that can be seen when it is open. Or in the case of an inward opening door, when it is closed.  

And finally. Don't rush at this. Take enjoyment from the pleasure of watching the transformation of your room. Home improvement should be enjoyable.If you find you have hated every minute of it, then next time you want a rooom painted, save up to pay somebody else to do it for you. If you don't enjoy the process, then you will tend to rush and skimp the work and the end result will not be so good.