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Pre-Holiday Painting Is Here
Sam Lutz • November 15, 2016
Halloween is over and the countdown to the holidays has begun. If you’re planning on having a big holiday get together this year, now is the time to make your house look its best. One of the best ways to prepare your home for the arrival of guests is to refresh or touch up the paint inside your home. Not all areas of your house may need to be painted, but now is the time to assess your situation and take action where needed.
Assess Your Need
Take a good look at most public parts of your house, including the entryway, living room, dining room and kitchen. Clean the walls first. Use a dry towel to remove the dust, cobwebs and surface grime. Next, clean any remaining marks with warm soapy water and a clean sponge. Allow the walls to dry. This will enable you to investigate the real condition of the paint.
Examine the paint in full, broad daylight. Look for scrapes, scratches and marks that remain. Pay careful attention to the trim around the base of your walls and the corners of the walls where people frequently walk. Determine which parts of the house need to be touched up and which parts need to be repainted altogether.
Make Touch Ups Wherever Possible
Touching up paint is easier than redoing an entire room. Knowing how to apply the paint and which paint to use will help you make touch-ups that are indistinguishable from the original paint on the walls.
- Use the same paint whenever possible. Use the original can of paint, if possible. If the can is one or more years old, the paint may no longer be good. Open the can without shaking it and investigate the paint for surface mold or unusual smells. If the paint seems alright, try stirring and shaking it. Look for mysterious lumps, clumps and streaks in the paint. If you can find no evidence that the paint has gone bad, then it is likely fine.
- Water down or thin the paint. Thinning the paint slows the wicking process and increases the likelihood that the new paint and old paint will match. Thin the paint by about 10 or 15%, and mix it well before getting started.
- Apply paint with the same tools you used the first time. If you used a paintbrush to apply the paint originally, do it now. If you used a roller, use a roller again. Matching the textures will help you apply the new paint seamlessly.
Repaint When Necessary
If touching up isn’t going to be enough, consider repainting instead. Repainting a room or even just a hallway can make your home seem new, clean and fresh for visitors.
- Consider adding an accent wall. Sometimes repainting an entire room is unnecessary. If only one wall needs to be changed, consider painting an accent wall to tie together your interior design.
- Check the conditions for repainting. Temperatures outside are dropping! If you haven’t yet turned on your home’s furnace, read the side of the paint can to ensure that your home’s temperature and humidity fall within acceptable parameters for the type of paint you selected.
- Give your paint adequate time to cure. Paint needs at least two weeks to cure properly, and until that happens, it can be fragile and easy to damage. Give yourself at least two weeks between the day you paint the walls and the day that you put up any holiday decorations that could potentially damage your walls.
Stop By Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture
At Ace Paint and Unfinished Furniture, we sell everything you’ll need to get your home painted this holiday season. To get started with your home improvement project before the arrival of your holiday guests, stop in today for paint and painting tools like paint brushes, rollers and more!
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