5 huge house painting mistakes (and how to avoid them)

5 huge house painting mistakes (and how to avoid them)

It’s no secret that a brand-new coat of paint can completely transform your home, creating a new sense of style or just simply reviving a room with a brighter coat of paint. However, many homeowners forget some of the small details when painting which can ultimately lead to a poor-quality paintjob. Below we have identified 5 of the most common house painting mistakes and how you can avoid them… Let’s get started!

Poor quality brushes and rollers

Many homeowners are happy to spend money on a good quality paint because they want their walls to look perfect. However, many will skip out on purchasing high quality applicators and subsequently end up with a poor looking paintjob.

Cheap brushes and rollers can leave bristles under your paint, creating a bumpy and uneven surface. You may not even notice until the paint has dried, by which time it is too late to fix. Investing in quality brushes and rollers upfront is a great choice as it will leave your walls perfectly smooth, and you can always use them again in the future if needed.

Unprepared walls

Preparing your walls is a vital step in creating a perfect paintjob. Without the correct preparation, you could end up with lumpy, running or peeling paint on your walls.

When painting the interior, of your home ensure that the walls are washed with a sponge, soap and warm water prior to applying the paint. Wipe the walls with clean water afterwards to remove any excess residue that could affect the paint. It’s important to allow the walls to dry completely before applying the first coat of paint.

If you decide to paint the exterior of your home, the surface can be a little more challenging to prepare. Rough surfaces must be smoothed out where possible. This includes scraping off any flaking paint, sanding back blistering paint, repairing cracks in the walls and removing any mould or mildew.

The surface must then be cleaned thoroughly and dried out completely before you can apply the paint. The preparation involved with exterior painting can be a particularly long and tedious task. You may want to hire professional house painters to take care of the job done for you.

The team at SG Coatings are ready and willing to take on any painting job you require. Not only will you receive a high-quality paint job, but our specialised tools also allow us to complete the job quickly so that you can enjoy your new paintjob sooner.

Exposed floors and furniture

It may seem like common sense, but many homeowners forget to protect their floors and furniture when painting around them.

Cover everything with plastic drop protection sheets to avoid any spillages, and ensure that the edges of the plastic are taped down to the floor or furniture.

Use tape around skirting boards, flooring and windows to ensure there is no bleeding onto surfaces you don’t want to paint. Ensure the tape is positioned extremely tightly so the paint doesn’t smudge or drip, making the situation worse.

Paint can be incredibly difficult to remove from furniture and flooring, so the best way to avoid this is by covering it up before you begin the painting process.

Painting too quickly

It is true, it can be exciting to get that room painted so it looks clean and fresh as soon as possible, however, being too hasty can backfire.

Before you begin, ensure you have enough paint on hand. You don’t want to be half way through a coat of paint and run out. It can be difficult to gain momentum again once you stop, and it can be difficult to pick up where you left off without leaving lines and patches.

Once you begin painting you will soon learn that it is likely a bigger task than you had anticipated… This can lead you to want to rush to get it out of the way sooner, but be cautious – you could make your job more difficult if you rush it too much.

Ensure you wait until your first coat is completely dry before applying the next coat. If you apply the paint too soon it can show up brush strokes more clearly, or the paint could lump or bubble.

Ignoring the weather

Paint can react to harsh Melbourne weather conditions, so keep this in mind when applying a new coat of paint to your walls.

When humidity is high, it can take much longer for water-based paints to dry.

Extreme heat can cause the paint to bubble on the surface, whilst freezing temperatures can prevent the paint from drying evenly, leading to cracking and peeling in the paint. If you are experiencing extreme weather conditions, the best thing to do is reschedule your painting for another day.

Storing paint

Paint tins should be stored upside down in a cool and dry environment to extend its lifetime use. Ensure that the lid is placed on the tin correctly to seal it up and prevent it from drying out. If possible, store your paint in an inside cupboard somewhere to limit its exposure to outside weather conditions. Avoid storing paint in the garden shed as they can become very moist and subject to high temperature fluctuations.

When storing water-based paint, place a piece of clear plastic wrap on the surface of the paint before resealing the tin. This will prevent the paint from drying out. For oil-based paint, add a few tablespoons of water before resealing.

Whilst painting can seem like a relatively straight forward task, there are many common mistakes that people make far too often when they opt for DIY painting. The best way to avoid mistakes all together is to hire a professional house painter. Learn more about DIY vs hiring a professional.

Luckily the painters at SG Coatings are prepared to assist our customers with any interior or exterior painting job in Mornington, Bayside and the surrounding suburbs. Our team of experts can guarantee that your new paint job will be high quality, affordable and completely free from mistakes. Book a free painting quote today to discuss house painting on the Mornington Peninsula.

Above: An example of SG Coating’s quality finishing.