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of Home Improvements

*A Top Quality Interior Paint Job*

(1) Remember to cover all floors with drop cloths, either the canvas type or you may use the disposable plastic drops. This is one area where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

(2) The first thing you want to do after you've got the floor covered is to start the preparation of the surfaces to be painted. Grab some 80 to 150 grit sandpaper and sand all your walls and woodwork making sure to get a smooth finish. For super fine finishes you should consider using higher numbered (finer) grits. If preparing for varnishing you can also use various grades of steel wool.

(3) Up next is the filling of cracks and holes. For woodwork you may use a good brand of spackling paste; you might have to fill the holes and cracks more than once. You should build up the repair are to then be able to sand it down to a level finish. NOTE: Do not use the old style oil based painter's putty unless you are using an oil based finish paint, since the oil in the putty may resurface when using water based paint. For walls you may use either plaster patch or spackling, depending on the material.

(4) OK, start to caulk all your wood joints, corners, and seams. Take a caulking gun and lay down a good even bead, using only as much as you need to. It's best to hold a wet rag in one hand and gently wet and clean the tip of your index finger as you smooth out the caulk bead. Unless you use a clean rag, caulking can leave your hands in big mess!

(5) Once your caulking is done you are ready to proceed with priming. Prime over all surfaces that have raw wood, spackling, or painter's putty with a good interior primer, such as KILZ. Once you are done with the woodwork, continue priming any raw spackled repaired wall areas with the same primer.

(6) Now, just before you are ready to begin painting, remember that dust is your enemy! Let me say it again: DUST IS YOUR ENEMY! Take the time to sweep and dust off all areas to be painted, I've even gone as far as to take a vacuum and tack cloth to all my work! Make sure there is no dust or debris that will get into your painted areas.

(7) Start with your crown moldings and other trim. Most people like to have their trim painted in a semi-gloss so that they stand out.

(8 )Cut in your ceiling and then roll it out.

(9) Paint the wall areas by first cutting in and then rolling out 2 coats The baseboards are an area of constant concern because the wall paint will splatter them from the roller's back stroke. Take masking tape and run it along the length of the baseboard tops, to protect them from roller splatter.

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