Common Painting Problems and How to Avoid Them
Even with over 25+ years in the industry, it does not take not take a keen eye to differentiate between a professional paint job and a DIY one. What usually gives this away? Lack of prep. True professional painters spend more time prepping than they do painting. House painting is not as easy as many DIY shows make it seem. This means cleaning, patching, scraping, sanding, covering, taping, and priming! When you skip prep, it shows! This is true of exterior and interior painting. Luckily, most of these problems are correctable and every single one of them preventable! Keep reading to see what we mean!
Brush Marks
This one is all too common. If your paint has already dried, the best thing you can do is sand the area, use a tack cloth to remove any sanding dust and reapply paint. If your paint still fairly wet and you can tell you are going to have brush marks, it’s best to go over it with a roller to smooth out the look.
Wrinkled Paint
This is sadly one of the harder mistakes to correct. It often is a result of painting the subsequent coats of paint too quickly. According to DIY Network, the best thing to do here is use a chemical stripper to remove most of the paint, sand the area, remove sanding dust and repaint.
Drips
Paint drips are often the result of heavy paint application, but they are easily fixed! The best thing to do is to use a scraper to remove them, sand paper to smooth them and then repaint. Be sure to use a tack cloth or damp cloth to remove sanding dust.
Pulling Painter’s Tape Off Too Late
First of all, be sure you are using painter’s tape! Please do not use masking tape. If the damage is already done and the paint has been drying for more than two hours, your best bet is to run a razor blade under the tape as flat to the wall as you can. This way you avoid scraping up the paint. In the future, the best way to remove tape is to wait an hour for the paint to dry but not completely dry and then pull the tape back over itself. Pull briskly, but taking care not to pull so fast that the tape rips.
Not Using Primer
Primer is not a way for paint stores to make more money off you, but they really are necessary! There are some exceptions to this like walls that are previously painted and paints that have primer already in them. Without primer, you might have to use more paint (more expensive) to achieve a consistent appearance, stains from previous years might show through, the paint will not adhere or last as long, etc. Primer covers a multitude of sins and save you time cleaning, etc. so why not!
Investing in Cheap Paint Brushes
A good paint brush is only a dollar or two more than the cheap paint brushes, but will save you even more! Bristles are less likely to be left behind on your wall, the coverage is better and they often clean up easier saving you from having to buy a new brush as often.
Not Washing the Wall Before Painting
If you use a nice primer, you may be able to get away with skipping this step. For those of you who do not mind a little elbow grease, know that washing the wall will allow the primer and paint to adhere better. It will also ensure less bleeding through of stains, dust particles and other debris coming through your paint, etc. And if your wall was painted with a lighter or similar color before, a good wash will likely be enough to allow you to skip primer altogether!
If you want to skip the headache of painting and near Breckenridge, Frisco, Keystone, Vail or just about anywhere nearby, give us a call at 970 418-5368 cell or 970-547-9778 office.