It’s coming on half a year since I got my windows replaced, and I still haven’t managed to repair the plaster damage and repaint in order to put my window coverings back up. So it was partly due to a continued avoidance, but with a great number of good reasons to do it, that I found myself prepping and painting the downstairs walls of my child’s makeshift bedroom.
Even while trying to do the most preparation possible, I was on a tight timeline, and the first limitation was the limits of the drop cloth. I decided to do three wall, and I had to remove some of the baseboards to remove a length of cable that had been serving no purpose for many years. In doing so, I uncovered a section of plaster that had been caved in and plastered over, and removed a section. I had to decide if I was going to paint three walls, or fix a 1foot square piece of plaster, so I have the walls done, but a hole that looks perfect for a safe, if it wasn’t right at the base of a wall. I have to cut it back more than the edge of the studs so that I can screw in the sides to finish, hopefully this week.
So what I remembered from other painting experiences is that you can cover the wall fastest with a combination of cutting in edges (before and after rolling, to get two layers in at the edges of the walls. I had paint that was low in VOCs, so this was the first thing that I learned after feeling a little dizzy an hour or so in.
1. Just because you are using eco paint, and the smell is way less, you still should be wearing an N95 mask and ventilating the space! It’s never too late, and it’s only necessary while you are painting, and an extra hour or two.
2. Painting a ceiling sucks, but it gives you the opportunity for a clean slate. Wow, does it look better! If you like to paint and can’t do ceilings (looking up is not safe for everyone and can probably hurt your neck and back more easily), hire someone! I am just glad for a standard house with a ceiling height of max 8 feet. The light and drama in a cathedral ceiling is wonderful, but it must be a real challenge to paint!
3. Painting tape can be minimized with planning, but with an accent wall, it’s important to know how to use it. Apply it well, but go over it so that the important edge is really stuck down. Don’t let the paint dry fully. Take it off within the hour, by taking the end, and pulling it into a 90 degree angle away from the wall, forming a triangular point at the bottom as you go. Use an exacto knife to cut the paint, if it sticks, so that you don’t strip off the thin plastic edge of your beautiful acrylic paint job.
4. Paint really close to your plugs and light switches. It’s really easy to leave too much of a margin, and then you have to do it again.
5. Light your area really well. Since it’s best that you remove any light or socket covering that you can, you may have even less light, and daylight is not ideal. A good light will let you seen those chunks of paint before they are permanent, and help you see where you missed a spot before you put everything away.
6. Don’t worry if the paint looks weird on the wall when it’s wet. Worry if it still looks weird when it’s dry. I had a beautiful « wolf gray » that my daughter was excited for, and had a tiny heart attack when it went on very lavender. I love a purple flower, but we both dislike it in our decorating. When it dried, it was a beautiful (not at all purple) gray.
7. Don’t try and do « one last thing » if you have already removed your painting clothes or eye protection. Take the time to put it back on. I had put every thing away, « only « had to hammer the metal tin lid down to keep it sealed. Thanks to a few generous streaks of paint that shot out around the lid during the process, and despite immediate attempts at cleaning, I now have a « painting sweater » I never needed!
8. Dress light. Paint gets you sweaty at times, and it is an unpleasant experience to be around, even if you are alone. Stay cool, not stinky!
NB These are not in the right order, so I hope you read them all to the end, before you started! Good luck!
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