Painting a room can be a great way to express style, creativity and Irish tradition when done properly. The main thing to remember before even beginning the painting process is preparation; it’s very important to follow certain procedures and to use quality paint and tools in order to make your paint job look professional.
Step 1: Getting Ready for Painting
Get the supplies you need in advance, such as filler, primer, sanding paper, filling knife, drop cloths or plastic tarps, roller (for large areas), small paint brushes for detail work, masking tape, paint can opener and good quality interior paint and paint for the woodwork (preferably oil base). Some people also like to have the paint thinner on hand to ‘cut’ the paint’s consistency, which makes it easier to spread. Others prefer thicker paint consistency for extra coverage with their first coat.
Step 2: Safety Issues
Remove any hardware that you don’t want to paint over, such as old nails, doorbells, handles, heating and air-conditioning vent covers, electrical switch covers, doorknobs, hinges, smoke detectors (as an alternative, cover it with a plastic bag) and electrical outlets. To prevent safety hazards, turn off air conditioning or heating while sanding or painting. Pull up window blinds completely and wrap the dangling cords into the slats to keep them from getting painted on or remove blinds altogether if you are painting inside the window frame.
Step 3: Preparing the Room to Be Painted
Clear the room of all wobbly, lightweight items and cover things you can’t lift or don’t want to move. The best is to move everything into the middle of the room. It is important to protect anything that will be lying directly underneath or nearby your paint zone. Since paint tends to splash and drip downwards, allow approximately two meters of horizontal space away from any surfaces that will be painted to avoid splashing and dripping accidents.
Step 4: Preparing the Walls for Painting
Remove old paint drips and scrape off existing chipping paint with a paint scraping tool or wire brush to avoid future paint flaking. Fill in large holes with self-expanding sealing foam and joint compound, drywall-taping techniques or epoxy filler (wood surfaces), and spackling or wood putty to fill in small holes. Then sand surfaces until any ridges or bumps are smoothed out. To avoid airborne particles from forming tiny bumps in your wet paint, be sure to thoroughly wash off dirt, sand, spider webs and dust from all surfaces in the room and completely let these surfaces dry before painting them. If you have mold or mildew, remove it with one part bleach and one part water, then rinse the surfaces again with plain water. It is also recommended to wear a filter mask, since some molds produce hazardous spores. Once the room’s surfaces are cleaned, it is best to keep them sufficiently dry to prevent future mold growth. You can also apply primers and paints that are mold and mildew-resistant as well as primers and sealers that are specifically marketed to treat and conceal stains.
Step 5: Learning about the Paints
Find out how long it will take for paint to dry in a room between coat applications and schedule your activities around your project. Since paint colours can fade over time, especially when exposed to sunlight, any colours in the room that you want to match perfectly will probably need to be painted simultaneously.
Step 6: Masking
Mask surfaces in a straight line, such as window frames, baseboards, door hinges, door frames, electrical sockets or anything else with straight edges, corners or irregularly shaped surfaces that you don’t want accidentally painted.
Step 7: Painting the Room
Paint the room preferably during daylight or use bright artificial lighting if you want to paint a room where the light is not sufficient. First, before rolling the walls or ceiling, you have to paint around the edges with a small brush and everything around like switchers, electrical sockets, door frames, window sills, smoke alarm, lamps, spot lights and do the same around the ceiling and skirtings. After this is done you can start with painting (rolling) your walls.
Step 8: Priming
Priming is mandatory if you are painting over mold stains, drywall, bare wood, ink, crayon, metal, spackling, wood putty or even oil paint. Not only does it water-seal surfaces, it also provides a layer that paint can readily stick to. Putting down white primer is a good idea when painting a light colour over a dark one. However, getting a tinted primer is a good idea if you are painting a dark colour over a light surface. As a rule of thumb, you should use a bonding primer if the existing paint is very glossy. For example, water-based paint will not stick to surfaces coated with oil-based paint if they are not primed first. For convenience, some specialty paints are manufactured as self-priming, which may or may not save time depending on the number of coats needed. It is also important to note that applying higher quality paint to surfaces requires less coat applications.
Step 9: Removing the Masking Tape
Once the desired number of coats has been applied, remove the masking tape by pulling it off the wall at a 90 degree angle for a clean edge. You may need to re-tape surfaces if you are using more than two coats. Otherwise, the paint layers may tear off in a jagged line instead of being cut cleanly by the tape. Don’t wait longer than 24 to 48 hours to remove masking tape, since it will be difficult to do so and can potentially ruin all your hard work. If some paint has managed to bleed underneath the tape, you can take a small paintbrush and very carefully touch up the lines; this can also be done when you have accidentally splattered the wrong colour in certain areas. Wait until paint drips are dry before removing your drop cloths or tarps.
Step 10: Cleaning the Room and Enjoying Your Work
Now you have painted your room like a pro – it might be time for cleaning, furnishing and decorating. Ireland’s rich heritage, strong, patriotic devotion, cultural pride, ancient myths and superstitions are weaved throughout traditional Irish home decorations. These decorations may include family mottos, plaques and crests, the Irish flag and colours; and Irish crosses, mistletoe and shamrocks that usually have a special meaning behind them stemming from both Christianity and early Irish paganism.
Enjoy your new room!
