There’s nothing quite like a fresh coat of paint to completely transform your interiors. Which is precisely why interior painting isn’t the kind of thing most homeowners go about lightly. Get it right and you’re in for long-term satisfaction and comfort. Get it wrong and…well, you’ll have to try again until you get it right!

It’s the classic case of do it right, do it once – rather than hacking away at it multiple times and wasting a ton of money in the process. So in the interest of those looking to go ahead with an interior makeover, here’s a quick rundown of ten basic but essential considerations to consider beforehand:

1. Sheen Matters

First and foremost, it isn’t all about color. Make the wrong choice in terms of sheen – aka paint finish – and you could be looking at frankly bizarre results. Satin and gloss are great for high-traffic/heavy-duty environments, matte provides a more soothing and comforting ambience though isn’t quite as easy to keep clean. Long story short – it’s a case of dull vs shiny.

2. Color Also Matters

Of course, color also matters…big time. The key message from us being to never, under any circumstances be afraid of bold and bright colors. Research color psychology and consider the rest of the complementary room elements. Experiment to your heart’s content and get yourself out of your comfort zone!

3. Samples Are Your Friends

Instead of guessing what a color will look like when it’s been applied to your walls – a recipe for disaster – get hold of a bunch of samples and test them for yourself. They cost next to nothing and have the potential to prevent seriously costly errors of judgement.

4. Waste Paint Wastes Money

There’s little to gain by picking up way more paint than you’re actually going to need. End up with gallons of the stuff left over and you’re looking at a huge waste of money for no good reason. Especially when calculating wall surface space and thus how much paint you’ll actually need isn’t exactly rocket science. Again – avoid presumptions, stick with the facts.

5. Prep Makes All the Difference

Do things right and the actual painting process should be the easiest step along the way. It’s the prep that eats up the hours – stripping paint, repairing imperfections, protecting and moving furniture etc. Unless you spend most of your time doing the prep, you’re clearly not doing enough of it!

6. Primer Is Just as Important as Paint

Don’t think for one minute that even the best interior paint will get the job done satisfactorily without a layer (or two) of primer beneath. Paint is, for the most part at least, designed with the presumption you’ll be using primer. Meaning that if you don’t, it won’t work. Or at least, not to its full potential. And yes – the quality of the primer you use also makes a BIG difference.

7. Rollers Cut Painting Time Hugely

Rather than stubbornly sticking with brushes, make now the time to speed things up with a roller or two. There’s no two ways about it – rollers cut painting time massively and have the potential to deliver superior results. Try them once and there’s no going back.

8. Not All Rollers Are Created Equally

That said, bargain-basement rollers will typically leave you with more paint all over yourself and the rest of the room than the wall you were attempting to apply it to! Rollers can be great, but those that are practically given away are not worth bothering with at all. That is, unless you like the idea of dealing with the mother of all splatter-based messes come the other side of the project!

9. Combine Paints for Uniformity

When you buy the highest-quality paints on the market, uniformity is guaranteed. Paint this bit with one can and that bit with another and they’ll match seamlessly. However, the further you slide down the quality ladder, the more likely you are to pick up on differences from one can/batch to the next. Hence the value of combining paints – known as boxing – in larger drums or buckets to ensure consistent uniformity.

10. The Pros Could Save You Money!

Last but not least…and hard to believe as it may be…having the experts paint your interiors on your behalf could actually save you money. How? Well, first consider all the gear you’ll need to pick up to get the job done properly. Then the costs of the paints at standard retail price, without the bulk discounts the pros have access to. Tools, materials, paints, supplies etc., by the time you’re done, you might end up spending way more than you would have on a pro paint job.

It costs nothing to find out – get in touch with a member of the Homm CPS team for a pressure-free, obligation-free quotation today!