Preparing Interior Walls for a Fresh Coat of Paint
Some people find painting fun. Taking a dingy wall and giving it a fresh and new look. Few people enjoy the necessary prep work however. The easiest interior walls to paint are ones that are already painted. Papered walls require stripping and paneled walls are generally unpleasant. Putting a fresh coat of paint on a wall just means slapping on some paint, doesn’t it? Sorry, but that will just change the color of the wall, it will not make it look new and sparkly.
Pre-Prep Prep
Get everything that you can take out of the room out. If this means piling your furniture in the kitchen, do so. The entire process becomes easier when there is nothing to fall over or to keep shuffling around. Once you have moved the sofa for the fourth time, you will wish that you had moved it out of the way the first time. This includes curtains and blinds. Pull them down and stow them away.
What you want to bring into the room is bright lights. Bright lights make finding flaws to correct easier. All the cracks and dings in the walls have to be located so that you can fix them. Since you are painting the wall, you can mark anything that needs fixing, if you want. That is not required, but some people find it easier to do so.
Filling, Sanding and Cleaning! Oh, My!
Now that you are exhausted from moving furniture, the real work starts. Go over the wall looking for anything that could mar your finish. Paint does not cover bumps or fill cracks. You need to fill all cracks, scratches or nail holes with the spackling compound. Get the spackling into the damaged area, and feather it out from the area that you have filled. Do not worry if does not look perfect at this point, you will be sanding it later.
Once you have filled all the holes, it is time to sand. Sanding is a messy business. Some people like wearing a protective mask for this step. The fine dust that you will be creating will float around in the air. A mask helps keep this dust out of your lungs. Other people hate wearing masks it is up to you whether you wear one. Sand everything that is not smooth. This will give a great painting surface. Once you have sanded, dust the wall. Any dust left on the wall will cause bumps in your finish. After all that hard work, painted dust clumps might just drive you to never painting again.