What You Need To Paint Your Own Home

Whether you are painting your home for you to enjoy, or to get it ready to sell, it is crucial to do it right.

I have always believed that paint is the most important factor in a room. You can have designer furniture and the perfect light fixture, but, if the paint color is wrong, or if the paint job is sloppy, then you have just ruined the room. Like many D.I.Y’ers, I also have tried to paint my own space. Through the years I have gotten better. You can definitely tell which room I painted and which was professionally done. oops! But, I don’t worry cause I know I will re-do it sooner rather than late.

If you don’t have the time, energy, or O.C.D perfectionism to paint you own space, I highly recommend hiring out. This is what I recommend for my clients. I have 3 sets of different painters always on call. They have all painted in my own home. I have not and will not ever recommend a painter or handyman who has not worked in my own home first. I do always say, I will give your home the same integrity I give my own.

Anyhoo, this week I have 2 Staging homes being painted. Needless to say both had drama. In the first home, the homeowners did not go with MY painter but decided to go with the Realtors choice. It was a disaster. It truly looked worse than before. So now, guess what? I got my guys coming in there today to begin fixing the job.

The other home had a tight budget. So the husband thought that he could help out by spackling and patching all the holes in the rooms. Then, the painter would just need to come and do a light sanding, prime and paint. Well, the husband spackled with mud/cement type mix. What could have been a 2 day job is now a 3-4 day job because my painter needs to spend extra days sanding down the mud. YUP!!! Don’t think you will save money by doing it yourself, sometimes you might just create extra work for your contractor.

IF you need to sell a home, paint paint paint!!! But, make sure your guy is a true perfectionist.

Okay, so here are some painting tips/products:

Step 1: If you have not repaired walls before, don’t start now if your are going to list your home!! BUT, if you must, use a painters putty or a high performance filler. I like Minwax for wood and Dap products for drywall. Remember, the smaller the hole on the wall the lighter the spackle. Hence, why some spackle is labeled “lightweight.” Here are my top favorites.

Step 2: SAND SAND SAND!!! Sanding is the most important step in prepping. It will allow the next coat to look and feel better. For glossy finishes use a sanding sponge instead of sandpaper.

Step 3: I am a FIRM believer in priming. I know some people will say, oh, but this paint has primer in it. I don’t care!! I make all my painters use primer on all the walls. I had a listing once that the Realtors painter did not use primer (cause the paint had primer in it blah blah blah). So he placed Stonington Gray over a a bright yellow wall!! It turned out little girls room purple!! In the kitchen!!! Of course, they blamed the color selection, until I was able to convince them that you prime prime prime!! Primer is our BEST FRIEND!! My favorite primer for your regular drywall paint job is by Zinsser

Step 5: Roller and brush are important. Don’t skimp out on cheap rollers and brushes. Buy a good brush. They are more expensive, but if you clean them properly after each use they will last! My favorite brush is the Angular Trim Paint Brushes by Purdy. love love love love

ok, so now that you have the right products on hand, you need the right paint. Paint color is crucial. Don’t just pick one from the card selection at the store without buying small sample and trying it on the wall first. I always buy a small sample and put it on different spots in the room. I get to see it in different light throughout the day. I love my Benjamin Moore colors and I know Sherwin Williams carries a great line too. Some people believe that they are saving money by buying cheaper paint at their local hardware store or Home Depot. Did you know that the paint is cheaper because it is a cheaper product and you will realize that you might need 3 coats to get it to look finished. You might spend a few extra bucks on a gallon of Benjamin Moore paint, but that is because the paint is of higher quality, and you most likely will only need 2 coats and not 3. I have seen painters in my own home paint an entire room with 2 coats and still have half a gallon left over because it is a thicker better quality paint.

You can see which are Benjamin Moore’s top selling colors on their website. Click on link below.

Or simply, shop around online and visit some blogs and Pinterest to get paint color ideas.

Okay, well, hopefully today will be a better painting day at my project sites…wish me luck!!