Just a quick disclaimer before we get started – rushing interior painting projects is never a good idea. This may come across as contradictory given the title of the article, but bear with us on this one!
When we talk about painting an interior space in record time, we don’t mean cutting corners and firing through it with nothing but speed on your mind. Instead, we’re talking about taking a few pointers from the pros, which can and will make any interior painting project far quicker and easier to deal with.
…and you can trust us when we say that no tips or tricks will help you get the job done faster than the following:
- Don’t Scrimp on the Sanding
The more flaws you identify and sand away to a smooth finish ahead of time, the faster you’ll get the job done. Don’t make the mistake of scrimping on the sanding, or attempting to paint over minor imperfections. Deal with them as an initial priority, before moving on.
- Use the Best Equipment
Cheap brushes, low-grade rollers, bargain-basement paint etc. – all guaranteed to slow you down. Not to mention, make it almost impossible to come up with a flawless final result. While it can be tempting to pick up the cheapest bits and pieces available to save money, you’ll live to regret it soon enough.
- Only Remove What’s Easy to Remove
In an ideal world, shifting everything out of the room temporarily while painting it is the best way of protecting it. However, if it’s going to take you the best part of an afternoon simply to maneuver your couch out of the battleground, you’d be better off just covering it up. If time is a factor, be realistic with how long it’s going to take you to remove and replace your furniture.
- Try Tinted Primer
This stuff can be pure gold when dealing with walls, ceilings and surfaces in general that are uneven colors. If there are spots and patches on the surface that are not uniform to the rest of the surface, tinted primer can make it much quicker and easier to come up with a smooth and even finish. It can also make the difference between using multiple coats of paint or perhaps just one or two coats of paint to achieve the same effect.
- Use Painter’s Tape Properly
This means two things – the first of which being to buy quality tape in the first place. Secondly, ensuring it is fastened securely in place as precisely as possible will save you the headache of having to deal with errors and inconsistencies later.
- Paint One Wall At A Time
Professional painters approach projects with their own unique strategies, but we always advise painting one wall at a time before moving on to the next. This isn’t just about speeding things up – it’s also the best way of ensuring each wall is finished smoothly, evenly and as flawlessly as possible.
- Paint One Room at a Time
It’s exactly the same when it comes to tackling a larger interior painting project around the home. Rather than attempting to do bits and pieces in multiple rooms with the aim of finishing them at the same time, it’s much quicker and easier to paint one room in full before moving on to the next.
- Don’t Forget to Box Your Paint
This refers to the practice of mixing the various cans of paint you buy together in a larger combined can – even if they are exactly the same color and from the same manufacturer. Contrary to popular belief, you’ll almost never come across two cans of paint that are 100% identical. The more noticeable the difference between two cans of paint, the more difficult it becomes to paint your walls evenly.
- Light the Space up Properly
Poor lighting is one of the most common causes of disappointing interior paint jobs. It looked great at the time, but in different light at a different time of day or night looks anything but. Painting when natural light is at its strongest is usually the way to go, but you’ll almost always need supplementary lighting to illuminate awkward corners and crevices.
- Degrease Surfaces Before Painting Them
Last up, there’s almost nothing that can make a painted surface more difficult to paint than everyday grease and grime. Rather than giving your walls a quick once-over with a damp cloth, try using an appropriate decreasing product to prep them for painting.
If you’d like to learn more about the potential benefits of professional interior painting, contact a member of the team at Homm CPS anytime for an obligation-free quotation.