Wall Preparation For Painting

• The first thing you should do is clear the room. Remove everything that you can from the room. What cannot be moved should be placed in the center and cover it with a canvas or plastic drop cloth.
• Turn of the power, before removing light fixtures, switches and switch plates, towel rods etc. Light fixtures that cannot be brought down should be covered with plastic. Bring down curtains and curtain rods as well. You can get your curtains cleaned as well.
• Bring down ceiling fans as well. Remove trim pieces of ceiling fixtures as well. Remove switch plates and other outlet plates and cover the outlets themselves with masking tape.
• Place a large enough trashcan lined with a plastic bag to throw debris as they gather. A dirty work area is not only unsafe but can slow you down.
• Use canvas to cover the floor to prevent damage from paint splatters and spills.
• Remove door hardware.
• Pull out nails and picture hooks and fill holes with joint compound.
• Use masking tape or painter's tape to cover areas that you do not want painted. Door hardware and window and ceiling trim that you cannot remove.
• Drywalls have marks of nail heads and peeling joints tape. These should be repaired before you paint the wall. For holes made by nails fill with plaster like mixture called joint compound and sand before painting. Cut off peeling tape and remove old adhesive with knife. Cover open joint with fiberglass mesh tape to fit the joint exactly. Cover with a layer of joint compound sand and prime before painting. New drywall rooms need to be primed before painting.
• For plaster walls nail holes can be filled with surfacing compound. For larger holes, clean with screwdriver, remove all loose plaster. Nail in some hardware screen to the lath to grasp the plaster. Use patching plaster to patch the hole. Prepare the plaster according to manufacturer's instructions. Apply three thin layers of plaster. Use drywall compound as the last layer and smooth. Use sand paper to sand and smooth and apply primer before painting.
• Before painting woodwork, the layers of old paint will have to be stripped. You can use a chemical stripper or a heat gun to remove the old layers of paint. Use an old paintbrush to apply the stripper. As bubbles form with the help of a scraper and steel wool to remove the soft paint. If you use a heat gun use from a distance of one foot and remove the paint as it flakes up. The heat gun should be held in such a way that the paint is removed and the woodwork is left undamaged. Use protective gear like leather gloves while scraping.
• For new woodwork all you need to do is to dull the surface using a deglosser or lightly sanding the wood prepares the surface for new paint. Wear protective gear at all times, use a respirator and wear leather gloves. Work in a well-ventilated room. Wash you hands with soap before you eat, drink or smoke, after you have worked with the chemicals.
• Particles of dirt, grease and grime have to be removed from the wall before you start painting. If these are left as they are on the wall, it will affect the paint's finish. Walls that are ordinarily soiled walls you can use a solution of washing soda to clean the wall and make it coarse to easily accept paint. Dip a sponge in the solution and work on the ceiling first and then on the walls from bottom to top. Turn of the power before you begin cleaning the walls.