What REALLY goes into painting a room

You might've heard that painting is the easiest most cost effective way to update your home. But is it as simple as slapping a coat of paint on the walls? There's a lot of tricks that ensure a gorgeous new paint job. Here's an inside look at what really goes into painting a room.

Primer/Prep

Before the paint goes on the walls, work needs to be done to them. Everything gets cleaned thoroughly in order to remove dirt and anything that would keep the paint from adhering to the surface. After it is dry, any holes or joints must be caulked or patched using only premium grade materials.

Then the appropriate primer is applied to the walls. This is tinted for better coverage of the final coat. It is used to increase adhesion, prevent stains, develop sheen and retain a uniform appearance. Once the wall is finished we tape off and paint any molding or trim.

If needed the walls are sanded. Sanding levels out any patches, flattens ridges from nail holes, and removes burrs and rough spots in your trim.

Paint

It's time to apply the first coat of paint of your choice. The paint is mixed together to ensure consistency, a process called boxing. We paint one wall at a time, and allow the first coat to dry. The brushed and rolled paint blend together better this way.

Any installation of crown molding or chair rail is done before final topcoats to allow for caulk and putty to be applied and dry.

Once the wall is dry and these steps are completed, we apply a second coat for best coverage. The number of coats applied sometimes depends on the color. Ultradeep tones often require tinted primer and/or additional topcoats. For example red contains a lot of pigment and requires extra coats.

Review

The final inspection of the project happens next and then we make any necessary final touch-ups.

A poorly executed paint job is easy to point out. It takes skill, patience and technique to get those walls looking their best. Believe us- with 17 years of experience, we know it's true!

---