How to Prepare Your Walls to Paint

Properly preparing your room for a paint job pays off in the end.

While it might be tempting to just jump right in and start painting, one of the most important steps when undertaking an interior painting project is to properly prep the wall surface. To get walls that look smooth and even, the surface must be clean, dry and smooth. Take the time to do it right and you'll be rewarded with a professional looking paint job.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Screwdrivers -- slotted and Phillips head
• Small pliers
• Painter's tape
• All-purpose cleaning product
• Putty knife or scraper
• Spackle
• Sandpaper
• Pole sander or sanding block
• Tack cloth or rag

1. Remove all pictures, picture hangers, window treatments and rods and switch plate covers using the screwdrivers and pliers. Painting your walls is a good time to start from scratch with picture hanging and window treatments. It is difficult to paint around the curtain rod brackets and looks better if they are removed. Sometimes removing brackets and rehanging can create problems. In this case, tape them off carefully instead.

2. Scrape off any loose paint. If you have areas of mildew or heavy grease, wash them with either a bleach solution to kill the mildew or a cleaning product to cut the grease.

3. Fill all the nail holes and cracks with spackle and a putty knife. Follow label instructions for the best method of application.

4. Sand the walls with a fine-grit sandpaper. Use a pole sander or sanding block to keep your fingers from cramping. You want to smooth any rough surfaces and spackled areas. This also removes grease and dust in the process, which will allow the paint to adhere properly. Use a circular motion when sanding, and be sure to use even pressure.

5. Wipe the walls with a tack cloth or rag to remove all the dust remaining from the sanding.

6. Tape off all surfaces adjoining the walls that you don't want to get paint on, such as along the ceiling, around windows and on the baseboards, using blue painter's tape.

Tips & Warnings

• When removing the switch plates you can do one of two things to keep from losing the screws. Either collect all of the covers and the screws in a plastic container, or take the plate off and put the screw back in the hole. You do not need to screw it all the way in, but make sure it is in far enough to hold.

References

• Norton: Room Painting Prep
• Sherwin-Williams: Surface Preparation