How a professional Hilton Head and Charleston painter prepares a room

The walls are one of the largest and most noticeable surfaces in any building. Interior painting is designed to create a fresh look that highlights your decorating choices. The paint colors that you choose enhance the overall ambiance of the space, and you’ll get the opportunity to work with an experienced contractor during a consultation that helps to turn your vision for the area into a reality. Whether you want to create a calming ambiance with cool blues and grays or prefer to go with a bold, trendy color, you’ll benefit from having an expert guide you through the color selection process.

Selecting a color scheme is only the first step in the process of painting the interior of your house. Once you provide your input, the painting contractor will quickly get to work on making sure that every surface is ready for painting. In the painting industry, every wall surface represents a blank canvas that requires some prep work since it is common for minor imperfections to occur over time. When you arrange for a paint job, you can expect to see your painting professional perform these steps to prep the room for painting.

Protect the furniture from splatters

Furniture that is located near the walls may need to be moved to the center of the room. This protects cribs, dining room tables and couches from paint splatters that are hard to remove. If you have a large amount of furniture in the room, or any pieces that are valuable, then the contractor might choose to move them to a different room to further protect them from harm. Any furniture that is moved to the middle of the room might also be covered as a further precaution.

Lay down drop cloths

Once the furniture is in a secure spot, the painter can then turn their attention to the flooring. Whether you have carpet, wood or tile installed on the floor, the painters can lay down drop cloths that cover all of the exposed surfaces completely. The drop cloths are sometimes placed just along the main edges where the interior painter works, but it could also be placed on the entire surface of the floor for complete protection.

Remove electrical and light switch plates

An expert paint job should include painting the wall surfaces that exist below the electrical outlet and light switch plates. This helps to avoid creating noticeable lines or accidental paint splashes on the covers. Removing the outlet covers only takes a few minutes, but it is a sign that you have chosen a quality Hilton Head or Charleston, SC painter who cares about every detail. The process of removing the covers also involves carefully storing the pieces so that they can all be replaced back on their locations once the paint is dry.

Cover up light fixtures

The painting contractor will also want to make sure that all of the light fixtures are protected from paint splatters. They’ll make a decision on whether to remove the fixtures or cover them based upon factors that include their location, size and value. For example, they might choose to cover a set of pendant lights that hang over a workspace that is not too close to the wall. Meanwhile, a panel of vanity lights over the bathroom sink might be better to remove when they are painting the wall that they are on.

Repair holes and other abnormal spots

Unless a building is completely new, there is a strong likelihood that there is some type of minor damage to the walls. Nail holes are common from people hanging wall art, and these imperfections can interfere with the interior painter being able to create a smooth finish. They’ll carefully check each wall for holes and repair each one. You can help with this process during the consultation by pointing out any areas of concern. Small cracks can also be repaired so that the paint has a perfect surface to adhere to.

Make sure the walls are clean

Some walls are prone to having more dirt than others. For example, your kitchen might have some food splatters around the main cooking areas. Walls in buildings that have a high amount of public traffic tend to accumulate handprints and other blemishes. Dust and dirt are also sometimes kicked up during the process of moving furniture out of the room. Paint that goes over dirty walls can trap pieces of dust and food that is noticeable when the job is done. Your interior painter will look for any soiled areas of the surface so that they can clean them well.

Use painter’s tape to protect adjacent surfaces

Painter’s tape is one of the top tools that your contractor will use to make sure that the residential painting process results in beautiful results. This type of tape is specially made to stick to surfaces without leaving behind any residue from the adhesive. The tape is typically applied along the baseboards and trim of the room, especially when you are painting those surfaces a different color. The contractor might also put it along the top of the walls if you aren’t going with the same color scheme for the ceiling.

Apply primer as needed

The need for primer is something that your contractor will talk to you about during the consultation. Primer helps to cover up dark paint that might currently be on the walls. The painter can use fewer coats on primed walls, which helps the painting process go faster. It also helps to make sure that new paint can stick to walls with a high gloss type on it now.

Begin the interior painting process

With the walls cleaned, taped and primed, the contractor can begin the actual paint job with full confidence that every possible contingency is covered. You’ll see the painter begin to paint along the edges of the walls and work their way to the center while using techniques that create a flawless finish. Once the paint job is finished, they’ll give you instructions regarding how long to wait until you can expect the walls to be completely dry and ready for you to begin adding your decorative pieces. A perfect paint job requires interior painters to take some extra time to fully prepare the room. Colorworks Painting has been serving the Hilton Head community for over a decade, and each member of our team is carefully vetted and trained to make sure that they uphold our standards for quality. Are you eager to transform your residence with a fresh coat of interior paint? Give us a call. We’ll provide you with services that exceed your expectations.