Six Painting Tips from The Pros

Get the best look out of your new paint by following these top tips from the professionals. Painting thousands of walls every year, our experienced painters and decorators in London have shared their top tips so that you can avoid disappointing mishaps.

1. Clear the room The first thing any good painter should do is assess the place before painting. You will need to decide on what equipment you need, and how much paint. In addition to this, everything needs to be moved out or covered. It would be a set back if you realise you need to do some sanding and there is an unprotected sofa in the middle of the room. In addition to this, you will want to clean any dirty walls and repair any cracks to avoid having a situation in which the paint does not stick to the walls.

2. Use high-quality extension pole rollers High-quality extension poles are an excellent way of protecting your back and reducing the need for a ladder. They help you extend the pole to reach from floor to ceiling in one stroke. With many walls to do, reaching up and bending down can really strain your muscles. In addition to this, if you do have to use a ladder, it is recommended that cloth floor covering is used and not plastic. This helps to avoid slipping ladders and slippery floors.

3. Use small rollers for the edges instead of a paintbrush It is standard practice to use paint brushes for the corners of the rooms. However, if you can find yourself a small roller, this can create a more even finish and better coverage than a paintbrush can give. Small rollers are often only a few inches wide. Keen DIYers could attempt to cut existing wide rollers to the perfect size.

4. Use quality paint Using quality paint is of utmost importance. Purchasing from well-known brands, or using trusted painter and decorators, such as Cloud Painters, is the best way to ensure a perfect finish in your room. It is also recommended that to keep a consistent colour for your wall, pour paint into one container if you anticipate using more than one pot for that wall. This allows the paint colour to mix and ensure that the two pots will not contain a slightly different tone.

5. Clean new rollers to reduce fluff New rollers tend to malt fluff. A few days before, clean new rollers to make sure that fluff does not come off in the process of painting and cause unwanted bumps or marks. In addition to this, it might be worth cutting the edges off particularly fluffy rollers to define the boundaries for a better painting finish.

6. Be careful with tape Sometimes using painters tape, or masking tape can be tricky. Although it stops you getting paint on your skirting board or light fittings, it can be difficult and even messy to take off. Paint can sometimes seep through or get underneath the tape. This can either be avoided using a paint shield or by using a knife to score the edge between the tape and the painted wall to ensure it does not pull the paint off with it.

To save the time and hassle of painting yourself, why not call in the experts? Cloud Painters are a team of experienced painters and decorators in London who specialize in residential and commercial painting.