You can easily transform your home with a tin of paint or two but there are several ways you can make it more difficult for yourself
A tin of paint can transform your home if you want to make a change but don’t want to shell out thousands on a total refurbishment. Just about anything can be improved with a lick of paint, with kitchen cabinets, wardrobe doors and radiators just crying out for a fresh coat.
You can encounter pitfalls though and there’s nothing worse than spending hours on a paint job and spotting an area that you’re absolutely not happy with, especially if it’s somewhere that you have no choice but to frequently observe.
Sarah Lloyd, paint and interiors expert from Valsparpaint.co.uk, told the Express about some common mistakes decorators can make and how to go about avoiding them.
Not doing a proper job preparing
The expert explained: “As with most DIY jobs, the prep work is just as important as the painting, however, this is something that is regularly skipped.
“Always protect your floor with dust sheets, and use masking tape to keep everything neat, you don’t want to have to repaint the ceiling or skirting board again if you can help it, so masking off is essential.
“Finally, you should ensure your room is well-ventilated before you begin to paint – an open window should suffice.”
Choosing the wrong colour
According to the paint expert, the “worst mistake” of all is choosing the wrong colour, but it can be hard when choosing because there is so much to think about.
Sarah recommended choosing a core colour while considering the room’s lighting, accessories and furniture.
She added: “You don’t need to follow trends too strictly. Once you have your core colours you can then either go for a monochromatic scheme (singular colour scheme with light and dark shades), analogue (use colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel), contrasting (three colours that are evenly spaced around a colour wheel) or a complementary colour scheme (two opposing colours on the colour wheel).
“Follow this method and your colours are sure to stay chic for a long time.”
Not painting radiators
Painting radiators is a great way to spruce up any room, although many people do it wrong. It is important to turn the radiator completely off before painting it, cleaning it and using a primer.
Make sure to paint in the same direction as the grooves in the metal, but don’t overload the brush as this could result in some dripping or lumpy areas.
Wait at least 24 hours before turning it back on, to help let it dry fully so the paint doesn’t turn tacky.
Using the wrong equipment
The paint pro added: “Rollers are a really easy way to paint your home. However, you need to first pick the right roller. Short pile provides a great cover for smooth walls and flat surfaces.
“Medium pile is handy for lightly textured walls and ceilings but it can also be used on walls. It picks up more paint than short pile rollers so if you’re faced with a large room to decorate, a medium pile might be your best option.
“Long pile is best suited to heavily textured walls like concrete and outdoor walls. Foam rollers are the most effective with gloss or varnish and radiator rollers are for just that, radiators and fiddly areas that require a little bit of bending to get to.”
Not buying enough paint
According to Sarah, people often do not know how much paint is required for a job, and there is nothing worse than running out halfway through.
By calculating how much paint is needed beforehand, you will be able to save time, effort and petrol. Make sure to measure the space and minus the square metres for windows and doors.
The expert added: “You’ll often need at least two coats, so multiply the figure by two. Take your total number and divide it by the metre squared per litre on your tin.”
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