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Painting and decorating your home or business can be one of the best and easiest ways to revitalize it, give it a fresh new look, and make it much more welcoming to you and your guests.
Many people choose to do their interior and exterior painting themselves, either because they want to save money, they want a project to work on, or they feel they can “make it their own”.
However, there are many common mistakes that people make when they try the DIY approach to painting. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to avoid them, so before you pick up that paintbrush, check out this list of the 10 most common exterior and interior painting mistakes.
Mistake 1 - Choosing the Wrong Color
Whether you’re hiring a local painter and decorator or you’re doing all the work yourself, it’s really easy to choose the wrong color.
It can be incredibly frustrating to finish a day of painting only to realize the shade you’ve chosen just doesn’t fit the room. If you’ve reached this point, you either have to live with the mistake or start from scratch, and you don’t want to do either.
You can avoid choosing the wrong color by getting a sample to try on the wall first. You can then observe it during the day and the night to see how it looks under natural and artificial light. If you don’t like it, you can easily try a different sample.
Mistake 2 - Leaving the Lid Off the Tin of Paint
Most first-time painters forget to put the lid back on their tin of paint while they start applying it to the walls.
Apart from the fact that without the lid, you’re running the risk of spilling your paint everywhere, leaving the lid off means dust and dirt can fall, get mixed in and the paint can start to dry out.
You can avoid this by simply putting the lid back on whenever you’ve finished pouring some out.
Mistake 3 - Cracked, Blistered, and Peeling Paint
Outdoor painting can throw up problems that you’re less likely to experience when indoors. One of the biggest is that the surfaces may be wet or damp due to the weather or the fact that you’ve had to wash them first.
Professional exterior painters and decorators go to great lengths to ensure the surfaces they paint on are dry. If they don’t, the paint is likely to blister, peel, or crack after it dries.
You may also experience this indoors too, either because you’ve washed the surfaces or because the property is damp.
You can avoid this by giving surfaces time to dry before you begin painting. Alternatively, head online to look for painters and decorators near me who’ll be able to prevent your paint from cracking, blistering or peeling.
Mistake 4 - Getting Paint Where It’s Not Supposed to Be
If you’re not an experienced painter, you’re almost guaranteed to get paint where it’s not supposed to be. Some might get flicked onto the floor or you might go a little too far with the roller or brush. Wherever it ends up, it means more work as you’ll have to clean up the mess.
If you hire a firm of local painters and decorators, you’ll see that they painstakingly cover surfaces they don’t want to paint, using tape, sheets, and even newspaper. This helps to ensure that the paint only ever goes where they want it.
You can avoid getting paint where it’s not supposed to be by doing the same. For example, if you’re painting a wall, apply masking tape to the ceiling and the skirting boards to keep them clean.
Mistake 5 - Overlap Marks
When painting with a roller, you can end up with overlap marks if you’re not quick enough. If you hire professional painters and decorators in London, you’ll see that whenever they use rollers, they “keep a wet edge”.
This stops lines from forming as the paint dries and ensures a solid finish.
You can avoid overlap marks yourself by working in small squares of a couple of meters in size, keeping the edges of the square wet until you reach the next square.
Mistake 6 - Using the Wrong Paint
If you aren’t an experienced residential painter, you may not know your gloss from your emulsion. But mixing up the different types of paint can cause you all kinds of problems.
Gloss paint is usually used for woodwork like window sills and door frames, while you’ll usually use emulsion for interior painting on walls and ceilings. There are many different sub-categories too, as well as specialist options for humid rooms, floors and radiators.
You can avoid using the wrong paint by asking an expert, checking online, or employing local decorators to do it for you.
Mistake 7 - Using the Wrong Tools
Just like there are certain paints for certain surfaces, sometimes you’ll want to use a paintbrush and other times a roller. Using the right tool ensures you get the right coverage and the right finish.
You can avoid using the wrong tools by reading the instructions on the paint tin or by looking online for house painters near me who will instinctively know what’s best.
Mistake 8 - The Surface Showing Through the Paint
If you’re applying light-coloured paint to a dark surface, then it’s likely that the old color will show through. You can also have this problem if there are stains on the wall that won’t wash off.
You can avoid this by applying a primer to the wall first or by applying multiple coats. Just make sure you wait for the wall to dry before applying the second coat.
Mistake 9 - Not Having Paint for Touch-Ups
No matter how careful you are, you’re bound to damage your paint surface at some point. It could be some spilt liquid, resting ladders on it, or hitting it with something hard. You can fix this by performing a “touch-up”.
If you don’t keep some leftover paint though, you won’t have any to do this with and you may need to repaint the whole room.
You can avoid this by keeping a small amount after you’ve finished and by ensuring the lid is completely sealed. If you employ decorators from North London or wherever you live, then you may need to ask them to leave you some.
Mistake 10 - Paint Brushes Gone Stiff
After you finish a long day of painting, you want nothing more than to put your feet up and admire your handy work. But if you don’t clean your brushes and rollers thoroughly, the paint will dry and render them useless the next time you need them.
You can avoid this by using plenty of clean water and a little bit of soap. Keep repeating until there’s no more paint left.
Want to avoid the hassle?
You can avoid all of these mistakes by hiring professionals to do it for you. At Yasmeen Property Services, we offer quality painting and decorating services in London for residential and commercial properties. Click here to get a free quote today.
