A couple of weeks ago in this space, we discussed how a new paint job can really liven up a room and change the atmosphere inside your home. This week, how about preparation?
If you want a new, inspiring, mood-setting, fresh look to your home, a fresh coat of paint is a great place to start, and the work begins with surface preparation.
Dents and dings on the walls seem to “magically” appear over time. Here are a few tips for “touching up” a wall.
With any paint job, you should start with a clean, smooth surface for the best adhesion of the paint to the wall. Using a sponge, mild detergent (TSP is a great product) and water, wipe down the wall and dry it with a towel.
Now is the time to repair any holes, gouges or scratches. For this job, spackling compound is your new best friend. This product has greatly changed in the last few years.
In the past, this was a two- or three-application process, because the spackling would shrink and crack as it dried. New “lightweight” spackling has much less water content, dries faster, shrinks less and sands better than the old stuff. You can even get spackling that goes on pink and changes to white as it dries.
Before applying spackling, you should smooth out any rough spots or edges with a fine sandpaper. Wipe away dust and debris, and apply the spackling with a flexible putty knife.
“Feather” the spackling smoothly out onto the wall. You can use a damp cloth to lightly smooth out the spackling before it hardens.
If you have larger holes, you may need to use a backer board or a “wall patch.” We’ll talk about that next week.
Remember, help is just around the corner at your local hardware store.
