Painting 102 – Preparation, Preparation
By Matt Surette
From the April 2006
Issue of Applaud Magazine

Preparation, preparation, preparation, - that’s the key to getting an exceptional paint job. If your room isn’t properly prepared you’ll see many imperfections in the final finish and the paint may not last very long. Preparation can be the most time consuming part of painting a room especially if you’ve got a lot of things to fix. In this article we’ll discuss what you need to prepare and how it should be prepared. You’ll use some of the tools we discussed in the previous article. Where to Start So it’s time to paint that room but where do you start? Well, the first thing to do is to get the room ready for the work to be done. Take the pictures off the walls, take down any drapes or curtains, move small furniture out of the room and move larger furniture to the middle of the room. Having the furniture in the middle of the room leaves a walking space at the walls for when you paint. If there are any nails in the walls or the woodwork be sure to remove them so you don’t cut your hands when you sand. You’ll also want to remove all switch and outlet covers. Now that the walls are bare and the furniture is moved out of the way, take your drop cloths and cover the floors and furniture. This will protect them from sanding dust as well as any paint splatter when you paint. Those Darn Cracks and Holes As houses get older the walls inevitably develop cracks, some large and some small. All the cracks in your walls must be repaired if you want a great looking paint job. Repairing cracks is easy. First, lightly sand the crack to get rid of any ridges or loose wall material around it. Then, using a wide putty knife (6 inches or so), spread spackle (this is a compound that fills holes and cracks) into the crack. Larger cracks may require multiple coats of spackle since several thin coats are better than one heavy coat. While you have the spackle out you should also fill any holes in the walls. Be sure to let the spackle dry before putting on an additional coat or sanding it. Now turn your attention to the woodwork. If there are cracks in the woodwork they should be filled with caulk (see picture). Use a caulking gun to run a bead of caulk into the crack and then smooth it out with your finger. Wipe away any excess with a damp sponge. Also be sure to fill any cracks where the window or door trim meets the wall. Fill any holes in the woodwork with putty. Now the Messy Part With everything covered and all cracks and holes filled, you’re ready to start sanding. You should close all the doors in the room you’re sanding to keep dust from getting into the rest of the house. Also, be sure to wear a dust mask when you sand especially if your home was built prior to 1978 because the walls and woodwork probably have lead paint on them. When you sand you’re doing two things. First, you’re making the surface as smooth as possible. This will make your new paint adhere to a nice even surface. Second, you’re removing any shine on the old paint. Paint doesn’t adhere too well to a shiny surface so the shinier the surface is, the more you’ll have to sand. I usually use either an 80 or 100 grit sandpaper or sanding pad (the lower the number the more coarse the grit). If you notice the sandpaper putting large scratches in the surface then switch to a lower grit. Also, if the room hasn’t been painted for a while you may have to wash the walls to remove all the contaminants that have accumulated over the years. The Final Steps You’re almost done with the preparation; just a few more things to do. First, wipe the walls and woodwork with a clean soft cloth or a tack cloth. This will remove the sanding dust that’s still on the wall and woodwork surface. Second, decide how much priming you need to do. If the current paint is in bad shape you should completely prime the walls and woodwork. If it’s not that bad then you can “spot prime” any bare spots, repairs, and stains. If you have heavy stains (such as large water stains) I recommend priming them with an oil-base primer. This will ensure that the stain won’t bleed through the paint and ruin your new paint job. And finally, clean up. Remove the drop cloths and shake them out and vacuum or sweep the floor. Now you’re ready to paint. In the next article we’ll paint the ceiling, walls and woodwork. Matt Surette is a painting and paperhanging contractor located in Bedford, NH. He has 15 years experience helping customers enhance their homes. You can see examples of his work at 603-396-6580 or matt@surettepainting.com.