| Copyright © 2008 Christopher R. Prickett. All rights reserved worldwide |
| Interior Painting Tips |
Let me make one thing perfectly clear- I HATE PAINTING! Let me make another thing
perfectly clear- I’M A CHEAPSKATE!
From age 12 to 40, every job I had somehow involved painting. As a young kid, it was
painting the curbs yellow in the small town where I grew up. After high school it was
off to the US Navy, and as any former “swabbie” can attest, an enlisted sailor will
spend a good part of his career painting anything that doesn’t move-Twice! After that
it was the field of residential construction where I never seemed to be able to get
away from a brush and roller. So, here are some quick interior painting tips for
people who, like yours truly, hate to paint but are too cheap to hire a professional.
The first choice to make is the type of paint- Oil (AKA Alkyd) or Latex. For me, there’s
really no choice. Latex is easier to apply, has less harmful fumes, and cleans up with
warm water. Oil based paint requires paint thinner for clean up. When you hate to
paint, fumes and difficult clean up don’t stand a chance. If you use oil based paint at
all, limit it’s use to doors and trim.
Then, there’s the paint finish. The three choices are: Flat, Eggshell, and Semi-gloss.
Unless you had your paint upgraded when you bought your house, most of the paint
(with the exception of the kitchen and baths) is flat. Flat paint hides wall
imperfections, but does not hold up well to kids or clumsy adults. They are generally
tougher to clean, but now there are new “washable” flat paints on the market.
Semi-gloss is very easy to clean, but shows every little imperfection. Probably not the
best choice for the average production home wall! It is, however, very durable and
great for doors and trim.
Eggshell or satin finish is sort of the “just right” of interior wall paints. More durable
and washable than flat, and a bit more forgiving than semi-gloss, Eggshell is a great
choice for most do-it-yourselfers.
Oh, one more thing, from your friendly paint-hating cheapskate. Wal-Mart paint ain’t
bad for the price and it’s about ¼ the price of the name brands.
How do we apply this paint that we hate so much? You might think that a cheapskate
like me would recommend the least expensive paint brush and roller. Oh contraire,
my fellow paint haters! For a roller sleeve, I recommend a natural lamb’s wool type.
Much more expensive than the “3-for- $5” specials that you can get most anywhere,
but they do a great job getting into the nooks and crannies of textured walls and
when properly cleaned can be used for years. The same thing goes for brushes. I
buy $20+ paint brushes, with synthetic bristles and an angled end. A 3” size is good
for most jobs.
Now all that’s left to do is to start painting. Yippie… NOT!
perfectly clear- I’M A CHEAPSKATE!
From age 12 to 40, every job I had somehow involved painting. As a young kid, it was
painting the curbs yellow in the small town where I grew up. After high school it was
off to the US Navy, and as any former “swabbie” can attest, an enlisted sailor will
spend a good part of his career painting anything that doesn’t move-Twice! After that
it was the field of residential construction where I never seemed to be able to get
away from a brush and roller. So, here are some quick interior painting tips for
people who, like yours truly, hate to paint but are too cheap to hire a professional.
The first choice to make is the type of paint- Oil (AKA Alkyd) or Latex. For me, there’s
really no choice. Latex is easier to apply, has less harmful fumes, and cleans up with
warm water. Oil based paint requires paint thinner for clean up. When you hate to
paint, fumes and difficult clean up don’t stand a chance. If you use oil based paint at
all, limit it’s use to doors and trim.
Then, there’s the paint finish. The three choices are: Flat, Eggshell, and Semi-gloss.
Unless you had your paint upgraded when you bought your house, most of the paint
(with the exception of the kitchen and baths) is flat. Flat paint hides wall
imperfections, but does not hold up well to kids or clumsy adults. They are generally
tougher to clean, but now there are new “washable” flat paints on the market.
Semi-gloss is very easy to clean, but shows every little imperfection. Probably not the
best choice for the average production home wall! It is, however, very durable and
great for doors and trim.
Eggshell or satin finish is sort of the “just right” of interior wall paints. More durable
and washable than flat, and a bit more forgiving than semi-gloss, Eggshell is a great
choice for most do-it-yourselfers.
Oh, one more thing, from your friendly paint-hating cheapskate. Wal-Mart paint ain’t
bad for the price and it’s about ¼ the price of the name brands.
How do we apply this paint that we hate so much? You might think that a cheapskate
like me would recommend the least expensive paint brush and roller. Oh contraire,
my fellow paint haters! For a roller sleeve, I recommend a natural lamb’s wool type.
Much more expensive than the “3-for- $5” specials that you can get most anywhere,
but they do a great job getting into the nooks and crannies of textured walls and
when properly cleaned can be used for years. The same thing goes for brushes. I
buy $20+ paint brushes, with synthetic bristles and an angled end. A 3” size is good
for most jobs.
Now all that’s left to do is to start painting. Yippie… NOT!