How to prepare walls for painting?

Painting walls is a multi-stage process. The steps that must be taken before applying the paint have a huge impact on the aesthetic, smooth and precise painting of the surface! The secret here is to properly prepare the walls for painting. We suggest how to do it. If we are painting the walls for the first time, the task is much easier. The raw, leveled substrate should be cleaned of dust and primed with a special primer, which will even out the absorptive capacity of the wall and strengthen it. Painting walls already painted, e.g. as part of renovation, is a more complicated task ... Why is the preparation of walls for painting so important? The answer is very simple. As a result of use, walls are damaged and dirty. Here and there scratches and cracks appear, elsewhere a huge stain after spilled coffee, and small spots of mold begin to “adorn” the joints of the walls and the ceiling. As if that were not enough, the paint coating loses its adhesion to the substrate over time - in other words, the paint starts to peel off.

If we had applied a new coat of paint without pretreatment of the substrate, it too would soon start sticking out of the wall. Preparing the walls for painting - step by step

Step 1. Removing old paint layers When preparing the walls for painting with latex, acrylic or other popular emulsions, first of all, we need to get rid of old, poorly adhesive paint coats - peeling and sticking out of the substrate. If we are unable to judge where the paint has lost its adhesion, let's do a simple test. It is enough to stick a strong painter's tape on a few fragments of the wall, and then tear it off with a quick and steady movement of the hand. If, together with the tape, we have torn off a fragment of the coating, it means that it is necessary to remove it. If the tape is clean, the paint probably sticks to the substrate well, so removal is not necessary. Before painting, you should also get rid of old layers of lime and glue paints, because they are not a good base for modern emulsion paints. How to remove old paint from the wall? All you need to do is moisten the surface with water and scrape it off with a spatula . Another method that requires a mask and goggles is the use of special paint strippers . After applying the paint remover to the coating, wait a while for the old layer to swell and remove with a spatula.

However, both methods are very time consuming. The old paint layer can be removed dry. It's best to choose an orbital sander for the job . It is important to start work with sandpaper with large granulation. Here, too, we must take care of safety. Due to the high dustiness, we should use glasses and a dust mask . Remember! When removing paint from the wall, be careful not to damage the plaster. It is a good idea to protect the floor with foil during the works.

Step 2. Washing the walls before painting Washing the walls before painting is a very important stage of the work. If we do not remove greasy stains and sediments or dirt from mud or food residues from the surface, we cannot dream that the paint will achieve perfect adhesion in these places. What to clean the wall with before painting? Experts recommend using a soft cloth and water with the addition of a special painter's soap ; we can also reach for a delicate, degreasing detergent. We clean the walls from top to bottom, and finally rinse the surfaces with a small amount of clean water. It is also necessary to remove the first outbreaks of mold and fungus. Let's reach for a fungicide and follow the instructions. It is often advisable to remove old, infected paint with a spatula.

Step 3. Leveling and plastering the walls How to prepare walls for repainting? In order to achieve a good effect, we must eliminate all unevenness, scratches and cracks and fill in any losses , otherwise after painting they will be visible on the palm of your hand. When the walls are completely dry, mix the putty in the proportions recommended by the manufacturer or reach for a ready-to-use product and fill the cavities, using a spatula to even out the surface. After the mortar is dry, grind the substrate with coarse-grained sandpaper, and then smooth it with a fine-grained one to obtain a smooth and even wall. Then we remove the resulting dust and dust.

Step 4. Priming the walls before painting Can we start painting? Almost! We still have the priming of the walls. Do the walls need to be primed before each painting? Yes, but with different products. Remember that this procedure is performed primarily on a previously unpainted surface. So it means that the application of the groundit is necessary when we have removed old paint coatings from fragments (or the entirety) of the walls and applied the putty to the repair defects. In this case, we only primer the exposed and repaired parts of the surface to stabilize the substrate and allow for good paint adhesion. Priming is also appropriate for new walls finished with highly absorbent materials. Gypsum plasters or gypsum boards require priming before applying plaster or painting! Priming previously painted walls, from which we have not removed the previous paint coating, is not necessary if the wall is in perfect condition. In this case, an undercoat is used here . In addition to strengthening the surface and improving the adhesion of new paint, the primer layer prepares the wall for a new color. This is especially important when you want to change the color of the walls from intense to more subdued. The primer paint covers the old emulsion and creates the background for the new one. At the same time, it reduces the consumption of paint needed for overcoating. Remember! People who paint an apartment for the first time usually have a lot of doubts about the drying time of individual products. When should I paint after priming? What time can be considered the minimum? It turns out that there is no universal rule here - each product has a different, individual drying time . Let's read the labels carefully!

Step 5. Plaster placement - optional It is worth being aware that every flaw of the wall can be seen on a thin coat of paint. Removing cracks and voids with a filler is not always sufficient. To obtain the effect of a smooth, flawlessly even surface, it is worth covering the wall with a plaster. We have various types of material at our disposal - from gypsum, cement, to lime and polymer finishing coats. The finish coat is selected according to the type of substrate and external conditions. A good example is gypsum-based finishing coats, which will not work well in rooms with high humidity and aerated concrete surfaces. Before we decide on a specific solution, let's carefully read the product specification. Applying plaster is not complicated, but it requires some practice and preparation of appropriate tools. We can choose to apply the plaster with a putty knife or a roller. The latter method is ideal for covering large areas. Step 6. Let's take care of the conditions, prepare the tools Keep in mind that the final effect - apart from the correct preparation of the walls and the selection of appropriate products for priming and painting - is also influenced by the conditions in which we carry out the work. For example, if it is too warm in the room, the paint layer will dry up too quickly, and as a result, it will not meet the technical and durability parameters promised by the manufacturer. Therefore, the temperature should be within the range of min. + 10 ° C, max. + 28 ° C, air humidity must not exceed 80%. Hints on the conditions can be found in the paint chart. We also get acquainted with the recommendations for painting tools - the type and length of the bristles in the roller and brush should be selected according to the type of paint. What primer for the paint? How to thoroughly remove stains? How to achieve a perfectly even surface? These are just some of the questions we ask ourselves when planning a renovation. It turns out, however, that painting the walls is much easier than it might seem. All you need is accuracy, precision and… a lot of free time.

If you look for a quality painters and decorators Ealing - K B Decorating Sevices is to help you out.