How to prepare walls for painting the right way

Preparing a wall for painting might require extensive preparations but at the end of the day it is well worth the investment. Here is a step by step guide that you must follow for painting interior as well as exterior walls.

1. Pressure washing: Exterior surfaces are usually exposed to grimes, UV radiation and different weather conditions. Give the exterior walls a thorough rinse with a power washer or garden hoses with an anti- mold solution. Let the surface dry properly so that the paint can adhere truly to the surface. For interior walls, power hosing is not required. With a soapy solution like sugar soap and a towel you can clean up the residues from the walls.
2. Scraping and Sanding: This step is especially applicable for previously painted surface both interior and exterior. Using long strokes scrap off previous paints thoroughly. Scrapping is essential to not just get rid of the old flaking paints but also to weed out efflorescence, cracking, blistering and other surface defects. After the scrapping phase is over, use fine grain sandpaper and gently scuff to smoothen ridges and dents so that the surface will be even after application of paint.
3. Surface filing/base coating: With joint compounds and filling knives conceal the small imperfections like patch holes and nail heads. This will keep the surface smudge free. Once filling procedure is over, finish by sanding off to a sound edge. With the help of base coats and gentle brushes of rollers you will be able to conceal the cracks on the surface. Two thin patch coats are better than one thick coat so plan accordingly.
4. Priming and spot priming: Exterior surfaces require a good exterior primer that will effectively prevent the moisture and the chemical reaction from getting inside the substrate. On new and unpainted surfaces, a single coat of primer is sufficient. For an old and damage prone surface advanced acrylic-polymer primers are better.
5. Paint swatch testing: After the wall surface is all ready for painting, you should ensure that you run a test of the color on the prepared surface. This is known as swatch testing. For effective color testing, purchase a sample pot of the shades of your favorite colors. On a small part of your prepared surface paint the color samples directly. You should consider putting two coats of paint as it is the second coat that makes all the difference.

If you are looking to paint either the exterior or the interior of your house you should enlist professional help as it is not a simple DIY. Hector’s Painting can help. Look for paint, painters, painting contractor, painting, exterior painting and interior home painters.