You want to make sure your pride in your home shines by keeping it looking as nice as possible. Doing the work yourself saves you money, and your home becomes a showcase of your handiwork. The interior of your home should have a fresh coat of paint every five to seven years, however, and painting is a time-consuming project.

Professional painters in Atlanta can help if you are not looking forward to a big messy project, or you would rather work outside planting your petunias and tomatoes this spring. Staffed with licensed and insured painters Atlanta based company Fillo Painting will help you keep your home looking and feeling as fresh as the first coat of paint.

If, on the other hand, the scent wafting from a freshly-opened can of paint and the sound of the roller on your walls gets you excited, the rest of this article is for you. Here is a list of the handiest tips and tricks from painters in Atlanta and all over the country, to make your paint job look just like the pros.

DIY Painting Prep

Prep is one of the most important parts of your paint job. When you take care of making sure everything is properly prepped and ready, then your work goes more smoothly and looks better in the end. Take the advice of professional painters in Atlanta, and do not cut corners in your preparation if you want a neat, professional-looking finish.

1. Find Your Base

Not sure what you’re painting over? Swipe a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol over the paint and look for residue. If anything starts to loosen or come off, then your base is latex. If the cotton ball stays clean, it is oil.

2. Pick Your Primer

A good paint job starts with the right primer. A water-based primer for fresh drywall hides imperfections. Paneling and walls that have water or smoke damage need a thicker oil-based primer.

3. Know the Size of Your Room

The last thing you want is to be halfway done with a wall when you realize you’re going to run out of paint before you finish. To avoid the problem of trying to cover up the lap marks of a half-finished paint job, confirm you have enough paint before you even get started.

4. A Clean Beginning for a Clean Finish

Painting over dirty walls can lead to unsightly blemishes in your paint job and a weaker finish. You can avoid premature cracking and fading by making sure your walls are clean before you paint.

5. Avoid a Messy Cover-Up

Remove outlet covers, tape the screws to the cover, and tape over switches and outlets before you even start painting.

6. Don’t Slip

Plastic floor coverings can get slippery and paint spills stay wet, making it more likely you will track paint onto your carpet. Use cotton or canvas on carpet, and rosin paper on tile or hardwood.

7. Get Unstuck

If you are having trouble peeling your tape from its roll, stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen things up.

8. Stop the Bleed

Run a putty knife over your tape job to seal the adhesive and prevent wet paint from bleeding onto your trim.

9. Strive for Consistency

You want your whole paint job to look consistent, but paint mixers at the store can vary colors ever-so-slightly, which leads to a patchy finish. To keep your job looking professional, mix all the paint you will need to finish your job together into a larger bucket before you get started.

10. Stir it Up!

In order to make your stirring job faster, and to create a better mix of the paint, drill some holes in your stir stick.

DIY Painting

You have done your research, shopped for your supplies, and prepped your workspace. Now that you have prepared just as well as the professional painters in Atlanta do, it’s time to move on to the fun part!

11. Avoid Lines

Those streaks you see in unprofessional paint jobs come from paint partially drying before the next row of paint gets rolled on. You may think that simply working quickly will solve this problem, but latex paint can start to dry in just a few minutes in the Atlanta heat. Make sure you keep your roller loaded with paint, and overlap your rows to avoid visible lines when the paint dries.

12. Time-Saver

Paint the trim first and don’t worry about leaking onto the walls—you’re going to paint over it anyway. Then paint your ceiling with the same philosophy. Allow your paint job plenty of time to dry, then tape it off and do the walls last.

13. Steady Hands Make Faster Work

If you have a steady hand, you may be able to avoid taping altogether. An edger or angled sash brush may be all you need for smooth, clean corners.

14. For Everyone Else

Most of us don’t spend our spare time drawing straight lines just for fun. For us, the most reasonable way to handle corners and trim edges is to cut in with a paintbrush, then roll as closely as possible with a 3-inch roller.

15. One Wall At a Time

You may be tempted to do all your corners and edge work at once, then go back and paint all the walls. But professional painters in Atlanta will tell you that you need to stick to one wall at a time for a smoother finish.

Taking the time to prepare for your paint job is one of the most important ways to ensure you have a smooth, professional look in the end. Get the right supplies and be thorough about your work in order to show off the pride you have in your home for years to come.

Related links: https://www.youraucklandpainters.co.nz/