Paint is a very inexpensive way to spruce up the interior of any wall quickly and easily if you know the right kind of paint you need and exactly how much to buy.
Luckily with painting you get the tedious part of the job over with first...the preparation work!
PREPARING WALLS FOR PAINT
If your walls have never been painted you will need to apply primer. Unfinished drywall can soak up paint very quickly and applying a coat of primer as a base coat can help protect your drywall, give you a smoother finish and is less expensive than washable interior housepaint. You can color tint your primer coat or leave it white.
If your walls have already been painted, use a paint scraper to remove any loose or chipped old paint. You may want to sand the surface to provide a smooth painting location. Fill any drywall holes with spackling compound too.
Clean dirt off your painting surface. If you have young children that have colored on the walls with marker or crayon you will want to stop the stains from bleeding through to the new paint. Hardware and paint stores carry stain blocking products you can spray or brush on.
PAINT CHOICES
Paint is available in thousands of colors and a variety of different sheens. The sheen determines the brightness the paint will exhibit on your walls or ceiling because the lower the sheen, the minimum amount of light the paint will reflect. Minimum sheens can help reduce glare and hide small surface imperfections but the sheen you choose can also create more difficulty in cleaning and maintenance.
Flat paint is the lowest sheen available. It is often used on the ceiling because it does not draw attention to the paint and does not require more cleaning than an occasional removal of cobwebs.
Satin paints are also known as lo-luster or eggshell paints. They have a slight sheen and are easier to wash than flat paint. They are a good choice for hallways.
Semigloss paint is the perfect paint for children's rooms, kitchens and bathrooms because of their durability. You can also purchase a specially formulated paint additive to add to paint used in areas with high moisture content to prevent mildew growth and formation.
Gloss and high-gloss paints, also known as enamel paint, dries very hard with a high sheen. Doors are often finished with this paint to withstand high traffic and dirty hands that require constant scrubbing and cleaning. Its mirror-like sheen is also popular for woodwork and kitchen cabinets.
HOW MUCH PAINT WILL I NEED?
purchasing the right amount of paint that you need can save you time and money in the long run. Measure once and then again to be absolutely sure that your figures are right.
To estimate your ceiling paint multiply the length of the ceiling times the width. This will give you the area.
LENGTH X WIDTH = AREA
Next, divide the area by 350 to determine how many gallons of paint you will need. Where did we come up with the number 350? Most gallons of paint will cover 350 square feet!
To estimate the wall paint needed, add together the length of each wall then multiply the sum by the wall height.
LENGTH + WALL HEIGHT = AREA
You can even subtract 20 square feet for each door and 15 square feet for each window in the room.
Divide the final figure by 350 as shown above to tell you the number of gallons to purchase.
