I get to meet many professional house painters in the course of my work, and I make it a point to ask them for the secrets to good painting results.
The tips, tricks and wisdom you’ll find here come from real-world pros, but they pay off for handy homeowners, too.
Tip #1: Primer quality differs more than paint quality
According to the pros, top formulations of latex paints are almost indistinguishable in quality from each other as they go on and age. But there is a wide difference in primer quality.
Poor quality primer (or the wrong kind of primer) is more likely to ruin a job than any issue with paint. Primer is also where some people are most likely to cut corners, cheap out and regret it.
Tip #2: Wall prep is key
Gary Walchuk is a professional painter I’ve known since 1990, and he spends as much time repairing wall flaws as he does painting.
“I’m fussy about prep work, and the older homes really take a lot of time fixing up previous rushed paint jobs from the past.”
Walchuk starts by sanding all trim and baseboard by hand using a sponge sanding block. This gets off all the bumps, dust nibs and pet hair. Plus, the sponge blocks follow the contours of trim and moulding nicely.
He uses spackling compound for small damage, and sandable, setting-type compound for bigger holes. Latex caulking is best for filling cracked areas that need to remain flexible.
Tip #3: Mental focus matters
More than a few pro painters I know talk about some version of what I call the “Zen” of painting. It’s all about pushing aside the many other thoughts bouncing around in your head, focusing only on that one square yard of wall or ceiling in front of you. It sounds simple, but it makes for better results with less mess.
Tip #4: Roller and brush quality matters
Your choice of brushes and rollers can boost the speed of your painting by about 30 per cent, and lab tests prove it.
Back in 2008, a roller testing procedure was created by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) to measure the effectiveness of paint rollers. It measured the performance of eight different types of rollers from six manufacturers. The best rollers required one-third fewer trips from the wall to the paint tray during an average day.
It’s no coincidence that the best performance came from rollers with the finest fibres. Microfibre roller refills were the most effective of all.
Good rollers hold a lot of paint, and you’ll waste a lot of time washing them out each after each painting session. Instead, wrap a wet roller with a tightly wrapped kitchen-catcher waste bag or shopping bag. As long as there are no holes in the bag and all air is removed, your roller will be fresh, wet and ready to roll in the morning.
Tip #5: Masking tape really matters
Should you mask that edge or cut in with a brush? That’s always the question, but the answer is changing, thanks to advances in masking tape.
Until 10 years ago, the tape industry was in a race for the bottom as far as price and quality of masking tape goes. As soon as one company had the nerve to create a tape that was expensive enough to work well, others followed suit.
Now hardware store shelves have two types of paint-related tape. So-called “masking tapes” are cheap but don’t actually keep paint from creeping underneath. Tapes that work well for masking are typically called “painter’s tapes.”
Painter’s tapes cost more, but they work great. At least if they’re applied properly, that is. The trick is to seal critical edges by pressing with a putty knife or credit card. You can apply as much pressure as you like with your finger, but it won’t create a reliable seal.
The possibilities for improved DIY interior painting are better than ever these days. Painting is one place where craftsmanship, discipline and attention to detail make all the difference.
And as a careful homeowner, you can certainly bring these things to your own painting jobs while saving money and connecting more closely with your home.
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