One of the simplest ways to give your home or business a face-lift is with a little bit of paint. Unfortunately, taking on a residential or commercial painting project yourself can be quite a hassle, especially if you don’t have any experience. With all of the home improvement shows on TV and social media posts of how to paint your business, everyone has an idea of what a perfectly decorated building looks like today. Before you begin, you need to watch out for these five little mistakes that could turn your painting project from a big win into a big headache.
The Wrong Colour Palette
Plain white walls are out, but in their place, you will find dozens of different ideas for colour palettes to run through your home or business. The problem is that the color palette you choose needs to work with your personal preferences or brand, your home’s overall aesthetics, your furniture and decor, and even the lighting in each room or office. Choosing a color palette that is too dark or too bold can have a negative impact on your space, and once it’s done, it’s even harder to cover up. The best way to avoid this is to get some help from a professional decorator and use sample cards to choose your palette carefully.
The Wrong Tools
Using the wrong tools for your residential or commercial painting will really slow you down, but it can also lead to less-than-stellar results. For instance, using the wrong type of roller or brush will result in paint that lays unevenly on your walls, and can cause running and drips that are impossible to cover up, without the assistance of sanding. It is important to know the difference between smooth and textured surfaces so you can find the appropriate tools for the job.
Forgetting to Wash Your Walls
It may be time-consuming, but it will make a world of difference in the quality of your finished paint. Greasy fingerprints and splashes in the kitchen and kids’ rooms can prevent your paint from sticking to the wall properly, and in some cases, it will cause discoloration or streaks. In bathrooms, you may discover that mildew can make it difficult to paint your walls. You will need to clean and prep your walls to solve these problems, but make sure not to use a cleaner that leaves behind a residue, which will also cause problems with your paint.
Mixing Finishes
While you may choose a matte finish for kids rooms and a gloss finish in the kitchen, it’s important that you match your finishes within a single room. A gloss and matte finish will give you slightly different appearances with the same shade. They will also impact the way light reflects through the room and more. If you mix multiple finishes within the same room, you will end up with a look that isn’t quite right, even if the colors are in the same palette originally.
Messy Painting
Even with all the right tools and colors at your disposal, it’s still possible to create a bad look. This typically happens when you try to rush the job by not taping off your trim, protecting your ceiling, or allowing enough time for the paint to dry between coats. All of these steps are necessary to avoid weird splotches of color around the edges of your room. A professionally painted room has crisp lines and a clean finish.
If you’re planning a big residential or commercial painting job, just make sure you do your homework and don’t rush any of the steps. From the earliest stages of cleaning your walls to the selection of each color for your rooms, take your time and work slowly if you want to get that iconic professionally decorated look.
