Preparing your painting site well beforehand means working with complete peace of mind afterwards. Here’s what to think about before you get started.
Protect the room
It will be easier to work in an empty room. If however you do not have the possibility to do it, evacuate the maximum of pieces of furniture and trinkets. If you must paint all the walls, group what remains in the center of the room. The fewer objects there are in the room, the more comfortable you will be working. Also remove pictures, shelves, rods and curtains, even if they are not on the wall to be painted, as they could get splashed.
Spilled paint on a carpet, parquet or furniture can be catastrophic. It is therefore necessary to take the time to cover everything that remains in the room to be painted. If you have to do or redo the floor, do it after painting the walls: your painting job will be that much easier!
The plastic sheet that protects the floor must be positioned halfway up the skirting boards, without folds to avoid any drips, and secured with double-sided tape. As for the furniture and objects that could remain, also use a plastic sheet and especially not old fabrics to cover them. Indeed, the paint can diffuse, pass through the fabric and stain what is underneath.
Also remove the covers for switches and wall sockets to paint as close as possible to the openings. By depositing the paint widely on a regular basis, avoiding repeats (to go around the socket with a small brush for example), the final result will be even more beautiful.
If you can’t remove the covers, you’ll protect them with masking tape. This same adhesive will also be applied to the parts of skirting boards not protected by the plastic sheeting of the floor. It must be laid without creases to prevent any dripping of paint from getting underneath.
Protect yourself too!
Choose comfortable clothes that can be stained without fear or put on a painter’s coverall. Also remember to protect your hair. It is advisable to wear gloves. Protective glasses are especially necessary if you paint with glycero paint or if you use a stripper.
Set the amount of paint needed to cover the desired surface
Measure the width and height of the area you want to cover and multiply these two numbers. Add all the results to get the total area.
Then refer to the paint can directions to estimate the total number of cans you need. If you hesitate because you are at the upper limit, do not hesitate to buy an additional pot. If you keep the receipt you can return the pot unused. Keep in mind that a dark shade will require one coat more than a light shade.
Choose your equipment carefully
When it comes to rollers and brushes, choose quality: rollers that are too thin or brushes that lose their bristles will lengthen the duration of the project and compromise the quality of the final result. In addition, choose brushes adapted to the nature of the paint you have chosen: it is not the same material depending on whether you wash the material with water or with white spirit.
Finally, make sure you have a stepladder of sufficient height to allow you to reach the top of the wall safely and effortlessly.