by THAT Painter Lady on Wednesday, December 24, 2008
You have gone to all the heartache over Choosing The Right Wallpaper you have got to get going preparing a room for wallpaper. Of course you have to do preparations… THAT Painter Lady always says “Prep Is The Key To Success”.
How To Prepare A Room For Wallpaper
Paint the trim / woodwork first – You don’t have to worry about doing straight lines, because the wallpaper will be crisp against the edge of the trim.
- If you paint after the wallpaper is installed then you run the risk of getting the paint on the wallpaper.
- Be sure to pick your wallpaper color and pattern first before painting, so that you can come up with a complementary color for the trim and woodwork.
- You can choose a color that is not so prominent within the pattern of your wallpaper. When in doubt, a neutral shade is always your best choice.
Tools you will need -
1. Large Table (a few boards on top of sawhorses will do)
2. Straightedge Cutting Tool
3. 3″ Putty Knife
4. Scissors, preferably 12 – 14″ blades. Super-LONG Stainless Steel Scissors – 14″
5. Smoothing Brush
6. 2-Inch Flat Roller
7. Clear Strippable Wall-covering Adhesive - Yep… even if your wallpaper is pre-pasted
8. Large Paste Brush
9. Chalk Snap Line or Auto-Leveling Laser
10. Ruler or measuring stick
11. Paint Mixer for mixing the wallpaper paste
12. More Extras You Will Need On Hand:
- stepladders,
- two pails,
- One pail is for paste, the other for cleaning water.
- Wallcovering Sponge
- plenty of clean rags,
- Sponge and rags are for cleaning up paste dripped on woodwork.
- some #0 emery cloth,
- The emery cloth keeps your roller cutter sharp.
- newspapers or a drop cloth,
- Newspapers or a drop cloth are needed to protect your floors.
- Quick-drying patching plaster if there are cracks to fill in on the walls.
Preparing The Surface -
Painted Walls
- Fix holes
- Sand walls until completely smooth
- Thoroughly clean dust from surface
- Prime the surface
Textured Surfaces
- Examples of textured surfaces – concrete, cinder block, wood paneling, textured plaster, and textured paint.
- All textured surfaces will need to be smoothed with joint compound before applying wallpaper. Then follow the steps above – sand, clean, prime. Another option for slightly textured walls is to hang a special liner paper first.
Proper surface preparation is the most important step in producing a good wallpaper job.
Tools For Stripping Wallpaper
And… if you need to strip the “Bad Wallpaper” – I found a few tools that will make the job so much easier:
Zinsser 2966 PaperTiger Scoring Tool for Wallpaper Removal Single Head
Zinsser 2466 DIF GEL Spray Ready To Use Wallpaper Stripper, 32-Ounce
by THAT Painter Lady on Saturday, December 20, 2008
Painting window panes can be a challenge, especially if it has the divided window panes like the one in the picture above. Yes, you can use painter’s tape, but if you have ever tried it, you will know that getting the tape right up on the edge can be difficult. You have to bend your kneck every which way to try and see if you have the tape in the right spot.
Another option is to just paint without taping and use a razor blade to scrape off the paint that got onto the windows. And from experience, if you use latex paint and try removing the excess with a blade it often peels off the paint that is actually on the window. Doing it this way is very tedious and time consuming. It can be done, but no always with the best results.
I recently came across a short video on You Tube that shared a very cool tip on painting glass cabinet doors. The painter used strips of wet copy paper. Yeah, it sounds weird right? Well, it really worked, and I love the idea.
Here is how they did it.
1. Cut copy paper into strips (preferably with a paper cutter to get a really straight edge)
2. Dip the strips of paper into a tray of water for a couple seconds, then ring out the water with your fingers
3. Apply the damp strips directly to the glass and push up to the edge of the door or window are that would need to be painted.
4. Let dry for a few minutes
5. Paint away!
Easy enough right? Well, I tried it, and it really works! The difference between the paper and tape is that the paper is movable, so you can slap it on the glass and just move it right up to the edge without a lot of neck bending. This should limit the need to go to a chiropractor all the time. LOL
After you paint and the paint has dried, you just peel the paper away just like you would with tape. Well, I hope this tip will help those of you DIYers who have been putting off painting your windows.
“Get your paint on” everyone!!
See My Favorite Step Stool Here
by THAT Painter Lady on Sunday, December 7, 2008
Whenever you buy paint for a painting project, you will almost always have some left over. In order to be able to use your paint again, it is important to store the can properly. Otherwise a couple years from now, when you need the paint to do a few touch-ups, you will find that the paint has gone bad. This is not fun, especially if you can’t get that same paint color again. You may wind up having to paint the whole room all over. These tips should help you save that leftover paint so you can use it again, without any problems.
1. How to open a paint can
People don’t realize, but this can be extremely important for when you put it away to store it. Be sure to open the can using an actual paint can opener as opposed to a screw driver or any other flat object. Go around the can a few inches at a time lifting up with the tool, until the top loosens. You don’t want to bend the lid, because this can let small amounts of air into the can and will cause the paint to dry up quickly.
2. Caring for the can while you paint
Don’t use the actual paint can to dip your brush in while painting. It is always better to dump it out into a container like a small bucket. If you paint directly from the can, especially when using latex paint, it will dry and be hard to remove. This will cause the top to not close properly and will allow air to get into the paint. When you do dump any paint out of the can, be sure to wipe the paint off the rim with a rag.
3. Closing the paint can
Put a block of wood over the can’s lid and tap on it with a hammer all the way around the can. If you use a hard hammer directly on the lid of the can, this can cause the lid to get distorted and prevent the lid from sealing properly on the can. A trick to keep a paint can airtight, is to drape a piece of plastic wrap inside the paint can and then put the lid on. Be sure to label the can that you did this, because you might open the can years later and stir the plastic into the paint. It would be a mess trying to get it out. You can also store the can upside down, but you will need to be sure that the can is definitely sealed.
4. Label the paint
The best way to label the paint is to use a permanent marker and write the necessary information directly on the can. The information should include the paint color name & number as well as the date the paint was used and what room the paint was used in. I also like to dab a little bit of paint on the can so I can see the actual color without having to open the can. If you plan on storing the paint cans one on top of the other, you may want to label the side of the can so you can see it.
5. Store the paint
Store in a cool place with proper ventilation. Do not store in a garage where the temperature gets below freezing in the winter. Paint should not be stored in a place lower than 50 degrees. The best place to store paint is in a heated basement or even a laundry room.
How to Paint Just About Anything (Better Homes & Gardens)
