|
by Donald
Thomas |
Painting
Your
Interior Walls and Ceilings Yourself in Shreveport and Bossier City, La.
Over time
the interior walls and ceilings in your home will eventually
require painting. Although the interior of your home is
usually a controlled environment with the temperature set at a
comfortable level all year round; yet, there are still many
more factors that can and will weigh in when it comes to the life of
the paint job on your walls and ceilings.
And your
interior
walls
take
quite a bit of abuse under normal
situations. Under extreme conditions where kids and pets reside,
painting your walls can become a constant chore in order to keep them
looking clean and fresh. It's true, ceilings are usually out
of
reach
of everyday hustle and bustle, but
ceilings ( especially
white ceilings), show dirt, insect stains, grease, mildew, mold, and
fading. This can be seen every time someone looks up, and the situation
never reverses itself. Fact is, even light colored pastels painted on
the ceilings will show all the negative things that a white ceiling
will show as well.
Calling in
an
interior
painting
contractor
every time your walls and
ceilings need a fresh coat of paint can add up rather quickly. However,
if you have the health and strength as well as the desire to do it
yourself, you can join the ranks of many homeowners who decided to take
the bulls by the horn; metaphorically speaking, and do the honors
yourself. There are some home improvement tasks that are better left to
the professionals but interior painting is not one of them; less of
course, you happen to live in a mansion with ceilings as high as 36
feet!
But for most
homeowners who live in homes with ceilings less than 12
feet high you should be able to paint your interior walls and
ceilings without much difficulty. However, if you have any reservations
about tackling such a task please contact a reputable interior painting
contractor in your area and let them deal with the risks and problems
associated with painting your walls and ceilings. But if you're up to
the task let's get started and away we go.
First of all
let's get one thing straight, and that is, you don't have
to be some sort of "so called 'pro' painter" to do a very
nice job, and you don't need much in the way of experience
either.
You see, painting is not rocket science, nor does it require
the precision of a first class machinist and certainly not the
precision of a surgeon; instead, basically all you need to bring to
the table is the will and desire to do the job, unless there are other
mental, psychological, and/or physical limitations that will prevent
you from doing the job.
Now with
your confidence up let's kick this show off right now. In
order to work unencumbered you really need to clear out as much as you
can from the room. You may need to borrow a little help from friends
and relatives with this but
it really will be a lot easier to paint in a room that you don't have
to stumble over chairs, sofas, tables, and king size beds.
Oh, I know
that moving furniture is boring, and it can really tire you
out before you even begin, but you will be grateful that you did before
the job is all over. Sometimes, just moving things around as you go as
oppose to moving things completely out the room will work too. Whatever
is comfortable for you "have at it".
All the
furniture that you will leave in the room
should be adequately covered and if possible wrapped
well enough to prevent any type of paint, primer, and/or
other materials (especially liquids) from staining your belongings.
Once
all your furniture and belongings are completely covered you should
turn your attention on the flooring. Make sure you cover your floor(s)
to keep anything from soiling it.It just makes good sense to
cover everything well including your flooring.
Before you
begin painting check the walls and
ceilings to see if any drywall/sheetrock repairs are needed; if so,
you should address these concerns first before you start painting.
Repairing drywall/sheetrock is not a complicated task at all;
unless of course the repair(s) is a major ones. If not, you can click
on
the link below where I offer a free tutorial on "how
to
repair
damaged
drywall/sheetrock youreself...".
And if your
walls and ceilings' finish is plaster you must repair any
and all holes, cracks, crevices, and craters before painting them. Like
with drywall/sheetrock, if you need a little guidance on "how
to repair plaster walls and ceilings"
you can click on the link and
find out how it's done. It is a tutorial to instruct you on how to make
superficial repairs to your plaster walls and ceilings. If
your
plaster walls and ceilings are in real bad shape, insted of trying to
do the repairs yourself you should think about calling a
plaster
repair contractor and
allow an experienced plaster
repair contractor take care
of it.
However, if
you feel up to the challenge and you feel your skills and
knowledge will be sufficient to do a good job, then you should give it
a try before you call in a plaster repair contractor. It's all up to
you, so approach this task cautiously and try not to over extend
yourself and /or risk the possibility of injury on top of a less than
desirable outcome.
With all the
drywall/sheetrock
repairs
done
(and/or plaster repair if applicable) and the
walls/ceilings
are cleaned , we can begin our painting project in earnest. Personally,
I think it's best to begin painting the ceilings and afterward paint
the walls. You might choose to do just the opposite. Whatever is the
most comfortable for you and whatever order you choose to follow
go right ahead.
When painting
walls and ceilings I think
it's
best to use your brush to
paint around the perimeter (cut in) of the ceiling before rolling it
with a paint roller. Now, if you choose to roll the ceiling first no
one has the right to insist you do it differently. You can roll first,
then cut in around the perimeter with a brush if this is the order you
choose to employ. When cutting in around the perimeter with a brush try
to be as neat as you can; however, if you get paint on the wall as you
are cutting in it's really no big deal because the walls are going to
be painted anyway.
But if you
choose to paint the walls first and the ceiling after, you
will need to be extremely careful as you paint around the ceiling
perimeter because the walls will be finished and any ceiling paint on
the walls will not look very good at all. That's why I feel it's better
to work from the ceiling down in that order as oppose to work from the
walls up. But you have the final word and the choice is yours. What may
seem logical and orderly to me and for me may prove to be illogical and
disorderly for the next person. Who knows?
When it
comes to rolling out your ceiling you may feel more comfortable
rolling out of a tray. Most painting contractors roll out of
a five gallon but if rolling out of a plastic or metal tray is more
convenient for you then by all means do so. In order to roll the
ceiling(s) you will need a roller frame and a roller nap that goes on
the frame. Roller naps or roller covers come in a number of thicknesses
often referred to as "pile". The rougher the substrate/surface the
thicker the roller nap should be, and the smoother the
substrate/surface is the thinner the
roller nap
should
be. Generally
speaking, roller naps come in 3/8 inch, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, 1 inch, and
11/4 inch or an inch and a quarter.
Typically a
1/2 inch roller nap will suffice painting ceilings and
walls unless the texture is extremely thick and coarse--like popcorn
and other heavy textures. In situations like that you will need a
thicker roller nap that will get into the cracks and crevices of heavy
textured substrates, but much soomther substrates/surfaces does not
require a thick roller nap, and in most cases a relatively thin roller
nap will suffice.
When rolling
the ceiling and/or walls it's best to establish a pattern
in order to help facilitate a uniform and smooth appearance. Some
painters look to roll in a "W" pattern, others prefer to do it
differently. The bottom line is this: a uniform finish. If you can
attain a uniform finish rolling any other way then by all means do it.
There is no "one way" to paint and there is no "one technique" that
yields the best results. Try different rolling patterns and see what
works best for you, and that should be the technique and pattern you
use.
The same
approach to painting the ceilings should be the approach you
take to paint your walls. First, cut in around the perimeters (if you
want), then roll the walls--just like the ceiling; or, take another
route and do it that way. For all I know you might have discovered a
better way of doing things. Who knows?
In
closing, painting
the walls and ceilings in
your
house is
not such a difficult task if you approach the task in the correct way.
It's not my way of instructing to take a students by the hand and guide
them every step of the way; instead, I prefer to give you just the
basic information and allow you to explore and find your own way. I
believe, in most cases, you will do a much better job with more
successful results if you are allowed to grow in your own way. So take
your time and do your best. Good luck.
Disclaimer:
The author
of this article assumes no responsibility for any and all injuries that
might occur due to the content of this article or any other article
written by him. This article is for the sole purpose of informing and
entertaining. Please contact a reputable contractor in your area. Thank
you.
American
Painting
and Pressure Cleaning, Inc.
(318) 746-1810
or (318)
677-9055 for all
your drywall/sheetrock repair
projects. We also offer carpentry repairs; kitchen cabinets staining
and varnishing; kitchen cabinets painting; exterior (doors) staining
and varnishing; deck restoration and rejuvenation; drywall (sheetrock)
finishing; drywall (sheetrock) installation; drywall (sheetrock)
texturing; popcorn ceiling removal; plaster restoration and plaster
repairs; historic home restoration and repairs plus flooring.
We are
also
interior residential (house) painters as well as exterior residential
(house) painters and so much more. For almost thirty years we have been
providing homeowners and commercial property owners with quality
craftsmanship along with down home friendly service. And if you reside
in the Minden area just give us a call at (318) 371-1005.
Thanks, Donald
Thomas/owner |
| American
Painting and
Pressure Cleaning, Inc. also
provides quality craftsmanship along with friendly down home service to
the following areas: Benton Louisiana, Haughton Louisiana,
Plain Dealing Louisiana, Bossier
Parish, Cotton Valley Louisiana, Sarepta Louisiana, Sprighill
Louisiana, Shongaloo Louisiana, Heflin Louisiana, Dubberly Louisiana,
Sibley Louisiana, Webster Parish, Homer Louisiana, Haynesville
Louisiana, Claiborne Parish, Lisbon Louisiana,
Athens Louisiana, Arcadia Louisiana, Gibsland Louisiana, Beinville
Parish, Arcadia Louisiana, Grambling Louisiana,
Ruston Louisiana, and Lincoln Parish. |
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For
all your interior and
exterior painting call
American
Painting
and
Pressure Cleaning, Inc. your
number one #1 source
in the Shreveport, Bossier City area.
And
for all your drywall/sheetrock finishing and repairs just pick up the
phone and call us at (318)
746-1810 or (318) 677-9055
today! |
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