Ottawa Painters Share Tips For Painting Common Wall Materials
Painting is often an affordable way to refresh your home. If you’ve fallen out of love with the colours on your walls it’s time for a change! Once you’ve found the perfect paint colour, you may think that you’re ready to paint, but it’s important to know what your walls are made of. This often overlooked factor can have a profound effect on the success of your project. Here, Ottawa painters provide some useful tips for painting any wall:
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is one of the most difficult materials to paint over. You essentially have two options: paint over it, or remove it. If you attempt to paint over the wallpaper, keep in mind that the texture, design, and seams of the paper may show through the paint. This makes it difficult to cover properly, and even harder to remove if you ever plan to do so. We recommend you take the time to remove the paper, after which you can prime and paint the walls of your Ottawa home.
New Drywall
Many major home renovations involve putting up new drywall. Painting this material is not the same as covering up old paint. Once the wall is mudded and tapped you’ll need to sand down any imperfections and clean the walls. Then you’re ready for primer on the walls. Primer offers a neutral backdrop for the paint, covers up the mud spots, and gives the paint something to stick to. It often takes two or three coats of primer depending on the drywall. After the primer is dry your drywall is ready to paint!
Gloss and Satin Paint
Gloss and satin paint have a distinct shine to them, so covering them up takes a couple of extra steps. First you’ll need to rough up the gloss so the new pain can stick to the walls. This can be done by sanding the wall or applying de-glosser with a paint brush. If you decide to sand the walls, there’s no need to sand down to the bare wall, you’re just adding texture for the paint to stick to. It’s also important to know if the paint contains lead or other toxins; you can consult an Ottawa painter if you’re not sure. Once the gloss is removed, you can clean the walls and paint!
Flat Paint
Flat paint is fairly simple to cover. You can repair, sand, and clear any areas that need to be fixed including holes, cracks, and paint drips, and wash the walls. Then you can paint right over it! That’s why many new home builders choose flat paint for homes in Ottawa.
As you can see, walls covered in wallpaper, new drywall, and high gloss paints will require additional preparation before you paint. If you need assistance, no matter what you’re painting over, contact Ottawa painters today.