Painting - what do i need to know?

[Antheia]

I want to repaint DD's room. How do i go about this and what should i know before i start?

[Lulu]

The conditions of the walls to start. How are they?

[kawazuki]

pick a colour, get some good rollers, masking tape and go for it.

nothing much to it realy.

just wash the walls down with sugar soap and let it dry then go for it.

[Antheia]

The conditions of the walls to start. How are they?

The walls are in pretty good condition although i dont know what a bad condition wall looks like lol.

[Danni]

If there are any holes you will need to plug them up and then sand them back. (plug is not the right word, but I can't think of the correct word right now )

Then yep, wash the walls, wait for them to dry, masking tape it all up, cut in the edges, then get a GOOD roller and roll away

[Visitor7]

Have a good look at the walls, will any need sanding down? You'll need to do this first to prep the walls for painting. You'll know if they need sanding as they'll be cracked or something similar.
If they're in good condition, clean the walls, apply an undercoat, then apply the paint. Make sure you cut in first along the skirting. Have plenty of ventilation as you're pg. Ask at the paint store for best paint ideas and painting tips.

[Antheia]

Well no holes or cracks so should be all good.

masking tape what? and what do you mean by cut in?

do i use a roller for the whole lot? will i need a brush at all?

do i start at the top or bottom first or does it not matter?

[Danni]

You would normally use masking tape under the cornice and ontop of the skirting boards. You will need a brush or a cutting in tool (sponge thing). Cutting in is where you paint all the outside of the wall (4 sides iykwim). You normally use a brush if you have a really steady hand.

Normally you paint the outside of the wall first (cutting in) then you use the roller for the rest. And you should start the roller in the middle of the wall, then go up and down.

[Visitor7]

You'll need a roller and a brush. By cutting in, I mean like painting a strip using a brush along the skirting (window sill, doors etc) as you can't get the roller close enough. Once the cutting in bit has dried, then you can paint with a roller.
Does that make sense?
ETA: danni explained it much better than me, lol!

[Danni]

I actually don't think I did!!! Its really hard when you don't know. I remember learning a few months ago and its harder than I thought

[Antheia]

You've both explained it great!

Now just gotta get DD to pick a colour. Hopfully one that looks nice lol.

[Danni]

If you choose a colour which is much lighter or much darker than the existing colour, you will most probably need 2 coats

Also, with the cutting in, you do one coat all the way around, and you must wait until it dries before you do the second coat.

MOst of the time rollers will distribute much more paint than the brushes, so it is possibly you may need 3 coats of cutting in and 2 coats of roller

[Lulu]

Now you be careful with your mega-nesting hun!

If the walls are ok a scrub with sugar soap (gloves on) will be fine.

You will need a brush to cut in - there are ones designed for it.

I hate rollers, they flick paint everywhere and it can be hard work maintaining the right pressure. When you go to Bunnings for your supplies check out the uummm whatsit called - umm pad painters I think they are called. It looks a bit like a mop head and its HEAPS better to apply paint with rather than a roller.

[~Kaz~]

You can actually buy a cutting in tool. It is a square plastic thing with a handle on the back and roller type material on the front. You just run this along the edges of the walls as explained above to 'cut in'. This might mean that you don't have to worry about taping the cornices and skirts. You should be able to buy one where ever you get your paint and I don't think they're all that expensive. No more so than a good cutting in brush would be (need to have long bristles and be of good quality).

Good luck!! Once you get started it won't be that hard. I painted a room a few years ago and it came out alright even though I'd never done it before.

[AngelPunks]

ok I'm actually starting this tonight

Wash down walls with sugar soap (I'm using sugar soap solution with a roller as I have rendered brick walls and a spongue will just break up) - sugar soap will get rid of any grime/grease etc
Fix any holes etc with a spacfilla (I don't need to do this - walls not smooth)
Sand over where you've fixed holes
Start painting

You have two choices when it comes to painting
1. cut in the corners/edges first & then paint (with either roller or brush); or
2. paint main parts of wall first and then cut in the corners/edges

I have a paintbrush with a diagonal edge to it for cutting in

Make sure when painting (with brush or roller) that you do not overload the tool as you can get drips.

When picking colours - get pieces of plasterboard and paint the tester colours on there (at least 50cm x 50cm blocks) - sit those against the walls and look at the colours in all lights (daylight and at night under bulbs etc) - that will give you a good indication of the colour in the room (saves painting it on the wall and hating the colour & deciding for something lighter and then having problems painting over the paint swatch)

[HotI]

When you buy the paint, buy a couple of plastic drop sheets. They only cost a couple dollars each and will stop paint drops on the carpet. We used tinned tomatoes to hold them down.

If you use powder in your washing machine, the boxes usually come with little plastic scoops. We save these, and you can use them to take the paint from the tin into the paint roller tray. Try to prevent drips on the edge of the tin, cos they make it messy when you are putting lid back on and moving tin later. If you hold brush under the plastic scoop while transferring from tin to tray, it will catch the drips.

[AngelPunks]

paint tin hints

get a nail and puncture a few holes in the lip, this will help the paint drain back into the tin when you put the lid on (the lid will seal the holes)

also I saw a spanky new toy in bunnings today - it is a lid for the paint tin that has a pourer.

[Antheia]

Thankyou for all the tips!

Hmm yes talk about nesting! If i pull this off well i'll also do DS's room as it is much bigger than DD's.