Painting an accent wall can drastically transform the look and feel of a space. It is a creative way to inject color, personality, and interest into a room. However, as simple as it might seem, doing it right requires careful planning and execution. If you’re considering painting an accent wall as a DIY project, follow […]
The time has come to paint a room (or rooms) in your home. It’s exciting to customize your home to your personality, and painting is one of the most noticeable and affordable ways to do so. But, be careful! Before you begin, read through our list of the most common mistakes to avoid when painting the interior of your home – presented to you in the order you might run into them!
To avoid these mistakes and ensure a successful paint job, consider hiring an interior house painter to help.
Skipping Prep Work
Before a single drop of paint is applied inside your home, we highly recommend taking care of the preparatory work upfront and avoiding the headache later. To ensure there are no unwanted splatters, spatters, and slips, cover the floor and furniture with cloths or towels you don’t mind getting dirty. Unscrew and remove all switch and outlet covers (be sure to switch off the power at the breaker for this) and wrap doorknobs with plastic wrap.
Also, be sure to use painter’s tape along the edges of your desired painting area. This will help to deliver crisp, clean, and neat lines between surfaces, giving your finished product a professional look. Of course, make sure the surface is clean before applying the tape, ensure the tape is sealed along the edges, and don’t remove the tape until the paint is completely dry!
Choosing the Wrong Paint
The last thing you want is to choose a paint that turns out different than what you hoped or expected. This mostly comes down to the paint color and quality.
Before going at your walls with paint at full speed, we recommend first getting samples of the few colors you like best. A color chip sample is definitely not enough. What looks great at the store can look completely different when applied at home, so it is best that you take a small can of sample paint home and try it out on your wall before completely committing. If you don’t like it, you will only be out a bit of money and you can run back to the store for different options. This holds true for sheen as well – check out our guide on this tricky topic.
The quality of your paint is another thing to pay attention to. A poor paint formula can ruin all of your hard work with a bad end result. When you’re buying paint, we recommend sticking to reputable painting brands which often offer warranties around longevity and washability; and it is always a good idea to consult with an expert interior house painter first.
Lastly, once you have found the perfect paint, people often make the mistake of not buying enough! It is always a pain to have to stop in the middle of a project and run back to the store; plus, sometimes color can differ slightly if it’s mixed at different times.
Ignoring Types of Light and Room Position
The same color paint can look different whether it is in natural or artificial light, as well as during different times of the day.
When deciding on your perfect paint for the job, be sure to test it in both types of light and let it sit during the morning, afternoon, and evening sunlight. A paint color at nighttime under lamplight has a completely different feel during the light of day, so be patient and consider carefully! Also, when you are doing the actual painting, be sure that it is in bright light to spot any thin patches or imperfections.
Not Cleaning the Walls
Nobody wants to finish days worth of painting only to notice dust particles, hair, and ripples. This is usually due to not properly cleaning the wall before applying coats of paint, so we recommend always doing this before beginning.
Simply use a duster and/or vacuum brush over the walls, then run a washcloth over the surface using a mixture of 1 gallon of warm water and 2 cups of vinegar.
Forgetting Primer
The last mistake to avoid before the painting process is forgetting the primer. Primer allows your paint to have a good surface to apply to, especially on previously painted surfaces or new drywall/ wood that is very absorbent. It will allow your paint to show its actual color which you selected and create a perfect finish.
Most paint is actually combined with a primer these days, so it's hard to forget!
Brush-work Errors
When it comes to finally starting paintwork, the result all comes down to the choices behind the brush. Be sure to avoid overbrushing which causes uneven layers, accidentally bumping the ceiling and floor with paint rollers, and dipping the brush in too much paint (stick to about 1/3 of the brush for smooth results).
It is also a common mistake to start on the second coat before letting the first one dry as well as only brushing in one direction.
Disregarding Shades and Overmatching
The last mistake that we commonly see is a stylistic one. People often disregard the power of different shades (there isn’t just one type of white!). Using warmer tones can be comfortable but can lead to a depressing feeling if overdone, and using brighter tones can maximize natural light but can sometimes lead to an empty, restless feeling.
Overmatching paint to furniture is also a common issue. It is often done to avoid color clashing but can turn out rather plain looking. We recommend choosing color schemes that match yet hold various tones, textures, and materials that are not identical to keep a room from looking monotonous.
Not Asking for Help When You Need It
Sometimes, a big mistake is simply not asking for a helping hand when you need it. If you need assistance or advice from interior house painters, contact the experts at Horner Painting today! We are always accessible, offer instant estimates onsite, provide professional design and color consultation, and have over 100 five-star reviews from customers like you.
