Essentials to prepping a room for painting

By Peter Fabris

Painting a room is one of a homeowner’s easier do-it-yourself projects. There’s nothing like a fresh coat of paint to transform an outdated room into a brilliant new space. New wall and trim color can change the whole atmosphere of a room.

Still, excessive haste and inattention to details can produce poor results. Proper preparation helps to ensure a professional-looking project. Several key steps should be taken before the first paint can is opened.

Bill Kenerson, owner of Artisan Painting based in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, says that for a typical room, he devotes 70 percent of the time to preparation and just 30 percent to painting. As a decorative painting specialist, Kenerson says many do-it-yourselfers give short shrift to room prepping and end up unhappy with the results.

Paint Prep Basics

According to Kenerson, these elements are essential for the best painting results:

• Use a deglosser for surface cleaning and preparation. New paint won’t adhere well to a glossy surface. Although sanding the surface to be painted is an effective way to degloss, it is an “old school” technique, Kenerson says. Sanding can be very time consuming, particularly on detailed surfaces like ornate wood trim and panel doors, and it generates a lot of dust. Liquid deglosser, also called “liquid sandpaper,” is a solvent that dulls a glossy painted surface so it can be repainted without sanding. Liquid deglossers quickly penetrate nooks and crannies, and can be wiped on easily with a rag. Use non-toxic products that wash and take the gloss off a surface. Don’t use products with tri-sodium phosphate (TSP), Kenerson warns, citing health and environmental concerns.
• Do sand where necessary. Liquid deglossers will not make a surface smoother — there’s no substitute for sandpaper to smooth uneven surfaces. To both smooth and degloss old paint simultaneously, use a flexible sanding sponge over the entire surface to be painted, and then wipe it off with rags. Make sure the surface is completely dry before painting.
• Use quality supplies. “I’m a big proponent of spending the money for a quality product,” Kenerson says. “If you don’t buy cheap things, you’ll get better results and your finished project is going to last a lot longer.” For example, he will not substitute anything for 3M ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape.
• Don’t forget to putty and caulk. “All the joints between walls and woodwork and the joints in the woodwork should be caulked,” Kenerson says. “Otherwise, you’ll see black lines that stick out like sore thumbs.” Unfilled nail holes will also detract from the look. You can fill them easily with putty and then sand them smooth. Shrink-free spackling paste can be used to cover or fill in imperfections, such as nail holes or gouges, in dry wall.
• Remove light switch and outlet covers. It’s difficult to tape and/or paint around these features, so unscrew them and take them down. Tape the screws to the cover so they don’t get lost, and tape over the outlet or light switch to prevent paint from getting on them.

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