Start Out Right

• You’ll enjoy the job more if you get everything together at the start. Organize a tool station in the middle of the area you’ll be working in. Gather together your paint, brushes, rollers, hammers, screwdrivers, plastic bags, plastic wrap, rags, paint can opener, and drop cloths.

Plan a Day for Prep

• Don’t try to get everything done in one day. Use the day before painting day to gather furniture in the center of the room, patch cracks and holes, put blue painter’s tape around doors and windows, and cover wall and ceiling light fixtures (light bulbs removed, of course!) with large plastic bags.

Clear the Decks

• If you can, clear out all the furniture and accessories. Take everything off the walls. If you can’t move everything out, place the furniture and lamps in the middle of the room and cover them with a good drop cloth. Be sure that you tape the cloth around the furniture. Then put a second cover of plastic or old sheet over everything.

Remove All Hardware

• It may seem easier to paint around door knobs or cabinet hinges, but unless you’re a professional, very experienced painter, you’re bound to get drips around. So carry around some zip top bags and remove all cabinet knobs and hinges, door knobs, light switch plates and outlet covers, and light fixtures. Place the pieces together in separate bags and clearly mark the contents and location (top left cabinet, bathroom door, etc) you took them from. This is a great time to clean the hardware! Put them back when you’re done painting.

Get Yourself Ready

• No matter how hard you try, you’re bound to get drips (or more) of paint on whatever you’re wearing. So take off all jewelry. Reserve some old, but comfortable, clothes for your painting jobs. Slip-on shoes are easy to take off if you need to leave the room. You won’t have to worry about tracking drops of paint into other rooms. When you paint the ceiling, put a scarf, shower cap, or old baseball hat over your hair and some plastic over your eyeglasses.

Don’t Paint Over Problem Walls

• If your walls have holes or cracks, fix them before you start with the paint. Any home center or paint store has knowledgeable personnel to guide you to the best products for the job. Wide cracks and large holes can be “bridged” with fiberglass tape, spackle will fill small holes and cracks, and texturizing products are available to match your existing wall finish.

via: About.com

We’ll assume that your have had the source of the leak fixed before you try to remove the stain.

If the ceiling is unpainted acoustic, you can try to use a mixture of one part bleach to two parts water in a hand squeeze pump bottle.  (Like a Windex bottle)

Make sure you cover anything underneath the spot you don’t want to get bleached. (Furnishings, carpets, etc.)

Then, with a spray of the above mixture, lightly wet the stained area and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The stain should disappear! It may take a few applications, but this most often, does the trick.

NOTE: Do not try to wipe or rub the spot as it may cause the acoustic to come off of the ceiling.

If you get stuck or just want us to help with the repair – we can remove and repair any ceiling defects.

1. Primer comes before paint.
Tempted to skip the primer? Primer not only provides a good surface for the paint, but it also brings out the paint’s true color.

2. Paint like a pro.
Painting is your chance to show off your skills. Use an edge pad for clean lines around doorframes, ceiling edges and corners so your walls look great — down to every last detail.

3. Create a sticky situation.
Paint won’t stick to the wall if you haven’t taken the time to prep. The surface must be clean, non-glossy and in good condition.

4. One gallon at a time.
How much paint will it take to cover your walls? The pros recommend one gallon for every 400 square feet. Covering textured, rough or unprimed surfaces may require more.

5. Dry days make good painting days.
Moisture in the air keeps water-based paint from drying. Skip the humid afternoon paint project and slow drying walls won’t wreck the rest of your day.

6. Put your sandwich bags to work.
Slip a small plastic bag over your doorknobs and tape the edge to avoid getting paint in places it wasn’t meant to go. You’re so resourceful.

7. Out with the old.
If the old paint on your wall is flaking off, it’s a good idea to buy a paint scraper and get it out of the way. Once all the old paint is gone, sand the surface smooth, prime and your new paint will look great.

8. Clean finish.
If you’re looking for paint in high-traffic areas, semi-gloss is the way to go. Shiny and durable, semi-gloss is a parent’s best friend.

9.  Give the walls a sponge bath.
Washing your walls from top to bottom is always recommended because paint sticks better to a clean surface.

10. Don’t look back.
Once an area starts to dry, it’s best to leave it alone. Going back over it can leave marks and color streaks in the paint’s surface.

11. Polka dots look good on fabric—not floors.
Unless you’re trying to paint your floor, we recommend covering it up with a drop cloth. It’s the cheap, easy way to save yourself a whole lot of irritation.

12. Take away the shine.
Paint doesn’t always adhere to glossy surfaces. We recommend using a light grade sandpaper to take the gloss off the surface so your new paint sticks like it should.

13. Turn in the brush.
Small rooms can feel gigantic when it comes to painting. A roller will do a better job than a paint brush in less time.

14. Spare the wall plates.
Before you start, remove all wall plates and tape off light switches and electrical outlets. You’ll get high marks for professional-looking results.

15. Patience is a virtue.
You’ve completed your mission to fix every imperfection with patching compound. Now, make sure it’s dry. Then sand smooth, prime, and you’ll have a surface good enough for any pro. ]]> http://www.pacwestpainting.net/2009/06/tips-15-painting-tips-to-paint-like-a-pro/feed/ 0 http://www.pacwestpainting.net/2009/06/tip-cleaning-up-after-painting-a-room/ http://www.pacwestpainting.net/2009/06/tip-cleaning-up-after-painting-a-room/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:11:49 +0000 admin http://www.pacwestpainting.net/?p=81 Paint certainly serves its purpose as a good durable coating. However, even though you try to ensure that everything in the room is covered before you commence painting, it is inevitable that some paint will still manage to flick or splash somewhere. Removing all your painting equipment carefully from the room will help to eliminate any accidents.

It is obviously sensible to wear old clothes or overalls and old shoes for painting in, as paint can be very difficult to remove from clothing. If you do accidentally manage to get some paint on decent clothing, it will be easier to remove once dry – otherwise you run the risk of spreading the paint and embedding it in the clothing, making it almost impossible to remove. Try working the paint out of the fibers with plenty of warm water and scrubbing with a small brush. Depending on the type of material, you may be able to cut off small blobs of paint from the surface.

Paint on carpets may also be difficult to remove. Again, any blobs on the surface may cut of easily; otherwise, as with clothing, use plenty of warm water, but blot, don’t scrub, as this may damage the pile. Stubborn paint spots may loosen off by gently using a blunt knife. Always work in the direction of the pile and then blot dry.

Always fold dustsheets in on themselves before removing to shake outside. Make sure that you always know which is the clean side of your sheets before you place them back down the next time you paint.

When removing masking tape from the edges of windows and carpet edges, always make sure the paint is dry first and peel the tape off gently – never rip it off quickly. Any paint on windowpanes can be scraped off with a bladed scraper. The glass can then be washed and polished with a chamois leather.

Any spots of paint on fixed fittings can usually be removed by wiping with a damp cloth. For more stubborn spots, try scraping very gently with a blunt knife, taking care not to scratch any delicate surfaces.

An important job to do as soon as possible after painting is to clean out paintbrushes and rollers. It is very important to clean them all thoroughly after each painting session; otherwise you will constantly need to replace them.

• First remove excess paint by either working the brushes on newspaper, or running a scraper carefully over the bristles. Then try to get the worst of the paint off in a bucket of water. Water base paints will wash out very easily under running water once the worst of the paint has been removed.
• Oil base paints will need to be cleaned in a bowl of white spirit first, then rinsed under a running tap. Finally, wash them in soapy water and give them another rinse.
• Shake out all excess water from the paintbrushes, and wrap them in wax paper and then seal with a rubber band. This will help them to retain their shape.
• Rollers used for water base paints can be washed in the sink, by part filling it with water and rolling the roller back and forth. Finally, rinse under running water until the water from the roller is clear.
• For oil base paint, rolling it in a paint tray containing white spirit can clean out the roller. Finish off by washing in soapy water and rinsing thoroughly. Hang rollers up to dry once they are clean.
• A good tip for keeping brushes soft and ready to use later in the day without the need for cleaning, is to wrap them in cling film. This will exclude air and prevent them from drying out. In the case of rollers, wrap them in a sealed plastic bag.

Finally, unless you wear gloves, it is virtually impossible to keep paint off your hands. Luckily there are a number of special hand cleaners available to buy, which are very effective in removing paint from the skin without causing any irritation.

Always make sure that all the paint is thoroughly dry before you begin to clean up. Although clearing up can be a very tedious task, it is an important part of any job and ensures that you always have clean reliable equipment available for your next project.