When to play room painter and when to leave it to a pro?
The keys could use a paint job after all these years? On the one hand, you may be tired of the aggressive fuchsia that seemed so timeless three years ago. And then there's hygiene...
How often should one paint an apartment?
Exactly, hygiene. Old paint holds germs and they're damn good at it. Dust, dirt, grease, smells, mildew. That doesn't sound very appealing...
It's hell on allergy sufferers. The mould is an added bonus if you want to grow asthma in addition to the dark maps on the wall. Staying in a room like that for a long time is a surefire way to get it.
Cleanliness half the health. Experts therefore recommend taking a brush/roller to hand at least every 5 years.
Vulnerable places in the apartment
Some rooms get an extra workout. The bathroom is probably the first to come to mind, as water is always in play, and mould can make it big. But even the kitchen is a real saigon - the cooking fumes make it an unwinnable battle with dampness. Plus, this is where the grease on the walls is the biggest threat.
Families with children and dogs/cats are also an endangered species. These creatures of action are flying around, swirling and creating dust. In homes with children and other pets, it is wise to paint every 2 years. At least in the kids room and hallway.
Are you going it alone? Congratulations, you are brave fighters
You're not a complete manual hoof so you want to take the plunge yourself? That's right, work breeds. Plus, after a day at the corporate office, you'll appreciate stretching your stiff muscles with up-and-down brush strokes. Great argument, you've convinced yourself and us.
When and how to go it alone?
Depending on the condition of the walls. Yeah, a crucial criterion. It's really stupid when you get a stronger roller stroke and the original undercoat peels off. So while you're still on the starting line, do a critical wall-by-wall inspection.
If the wall material is non-standard and you guess the paint won't stick to it, top it up with a primer first. This also applies to brand new walls that will only need to be painted with the first coat. Penetration will unify the substrate, increasing the adhesion of the subsequent coat of paint. It will also cover better. If you're painting somewhere where there's a risk of mould, reach for a fungicide primer and you're done. I mean, well treated.
If you've painstakingly ripped off wallpaper while gnashing your teeth, you're probably in for some fun in the form of smoothing the surfaces with putty and then sanding them down.
If there's already a pile of previous paint on the wall that has reduced the room by half a square metre, you're in for a scrape. No fun. But necessary. Isn't it? We recommend soaking for half an hour with warm water, having a coffee (or a shot) and then a scraper in your hand and scraping and scraping. Until the plaster is solid. It's a killer job, so feel free to get the kids involved. At least then they'll find vacuuming and clearing out the dishwasher to be good fun.
Are the documents ready to go?
Now it's gonna be more fun. Someone's gonna start scribbling paint on the wall, but you be smart. Get a little strategic. Unscrew what you can - cabinets, switches... Take down what you can - clocks, pictures... What sticks like concrete, tape it up with yellow masking tape - critical areas like door frames and stuff.
Then pick up a paintbrush first and paint difficult passages like corners, door frames, areas around kitchen cabinets...
Well, then grab a roller. Paint the ceiling first, the walls later. And fanatically ventilate continuously.
Yeah, today's paints usually cover in the first coat. Still, we recommend two coats, don't really try to avoid it. Most of the time, it'll catch up with you. Paint number one has to dry perfectly, you can't run a train over it. And you can't do that without ventilation. That said, painting in January is not a great idea...
I mean, it might work, but the hard work... is it worth it?
But maybe you're more like Pat and Mat and just hire a pro to do the painting. Or maybe the walls are really challenging and even as a layman, you know that you'll use up a whole lot of calories and energy just scraping the walls.
Yeah, and having painters do your painting has major secondary benefits: a real pro will bring in some of those pieces to cover the floor, etc. And he'll clean up after himself at the end. Anyone who has ever washed brushes, roller and cleaned up after painting understands the magnificence of this benefit.
(My father-in-law will tell you, with provocative disdain in his voice, that he always did everything himself at home. You might mention the fact that he doesn't conduct a two-hour meeting in English with his colleagues in America every Wednesday. And that's it.)
May the work succeed and your walls shine like freshly fallen snow. Or like a Vegas casino. Depends on your taste. As long as you have a good, healthy life.