Did You Know?

Most eggshell and flat interior finish latex paints can be thinned down with 8 to 16 ounces of water per gallon of paint. This makes the paint spread easier, uses less paint, and rolls on faster, with no need to backroll. Note:

• Each type of paint varies, and it is up to you to find out what works best
• There is a slight difference with medium and dark colours between thinned and un-thinned paint
  
• There is hardly any difference with white colours

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Remove electrical plates, leave telephone and cable jacks on.

Step Two

Cover furniture, lights, cupboard doors, windows etc with plastic (areas you don't want overspray on). Cover floors with canvas or cloth drop sheets as they will absorb paint. Paint on plastic will sit on top and track when stepped on.

Step Three

Wash any greasy walls and dust where needed, sand any rough areas. Ink, crayon, and mouldy areas should be cleaned before painting as latex paint will not cover them up. Goof off or lacquer thinner works, rusty areas must be sealed with an oil spray can (white).

Step Four

Use 1 1⁄2 inch masking tape for taping the baseboard (where it meets floor and door) and window frames for straight lines. It makes for a faster and neater job. I find the expensive tapes are no better than the least expensive tapes.

Step Five

Caulk corners, trim where needed. Fill holes with DAP premixed mud (not drywall mud as it takes way too long to dry). Don't worry about missing any repairs because you will see more after the first coat of paint is on as well as refilling larger areas.

Step Six

For small areas with drywall and repairs 2 coats of the paint you are using works well as a primer. Primers and sealers are used for new drywall and unpainted wood. It's still faster and cheaper to paint a third coat of paint than wasting money on primer undercoats and having left over.

Step Seven

Sand. You only sand the first coat of paint on new drywall once.
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Did you know
Cutting in before rolling is important only with eye level areas like thermostats, switches etc. Rolling first is helpful in closets (you don't have to roll close to the corners as you will cut in right away). Rolled walls will take longer to dry then cutting in will.

If the paint covers in 2 coats rolling over a dry edge won't matter.