Wall Preparation For Painting

Before you begin to paint your house, you have to prepare the surface of the walls for painting. There has to be wall preparation before painting, the surface has to be ready to accept the paint. Not only would you like the job to be perfect, but you would like the things around the project area to remain undamaged as well. Given below are a few tips on preparation for painting your house.

• Place a large enough trashcan lined with a plastic bag to throw debris as they gather. A dirty work area is not only unsafe but can slow you down.
• Use canvas to cover anything that won't be painted to prevent damage from paint splatters and spills. 
• Pull out nails and hooks and fill holes with joint compound.
• Use masking tape or painter's tape to cover areas that you do not want painted. Door hardware and window and ceiling trim that you cannot remove.
• Drywalls have marks of nail heads and peeling joints tape. These should be repaired before you paint the wall. For holes made by nails fill with plaster like mixture called joint compound and sand before painting. Cut off peeling tape and remove old adhesive with knife. Cover open joint with fiberglass mesh tape to fit the joint exactly. Cover with a layer of joint compound sand and prime before painting. New drywall rooms need to be primed before painting.
• For plaster walls nail holes can be filled with surfacing compound. For larger holes, clean with screwdriver, remove all loose plaster. Nail in some hardware screen to the lath to grasp the plaster. Use patching plaster to patch the hole. Prepare the plaster according to manufacturer's instructions. Apply three thin layers of plaster. Use drywall compound as the last layer and smooth. Use sand paper to sand and smooth and apply primer before painting.
  
• Before painting woodwork, the layers of old paint will have to be stripped. You can use a chemical stripper or a heat gun to remove the old layers of paint. Use an old paintbrush to apply the stripper. As bubbles form with the help of a scraper and steel wool to remove the soft paint. If you use a heat gun use from a distance of one foot and remove the paint as it flakes up. The heat gun should be held in such a way that the paint is removed and the woodwork is left undamaged. Use protective gear like leather gloves while scraping.
• For new woodwork all you need to do is to dull the surface using a deglosser or lightly sanding the wood prepares the surface for new paint. Wear protective gear at all times, use a respirator and wear leather gloves. Work in a well-ventilated room. Wash you hands with soap before you eat, drink or smoke, after you have worked with the chemicals.
• Particles of dirt, grease and grime have to be removed from the wall before you start painting. If these are left as they are on the wall, it will affect the paint's finish. Walls that are ordinarily soiled walls you can use a solution of washing soda to clean the wall and make it coarse to easily accept paint. Dip a sponge in the solution and work on the ceiling first and then on the walls from bottom to top.