5 Cautions About Paint

As I painting contractor, I know paint. The WORKS team has painted the interiors and exteriors of homes throughout the North Shore of Boston. We know the shortcuts that work and those that don’t. We know the choices that lead to good results and those that lead to frustration.

Painting Caution #1: Never shortcut preparation. Painting latex over oil without sanding down the oil surface first, painting a very thick first coat, painting a second coat before the first one fully dries, skipping the primer—all those shortcuts lead to peeling, dripping, cracking, streaky paint. Specialty paints that perform two or more jobs (pre-primed paints and so-called soundproofing paint) are another shortcut to avoid as they tend to do both jobs badly.

Painting Caution #2: Never buy cheap roller covers and brushes. With cheap brushes, a painter is going to be picking bristles off your walls. If roller covers and brushes aren’t suitable for the paint (latex, oil-based), the job will take twice as long and the results will disappoint.

Painting Caution #3: No two batches of paint are ever exactly alike. We always buy more than enough paint to complete the job because, if the paint runs out unexpectedly, any new purchase will have a slightly different hue from the original purchase.

Painting Caution #4: Never try to paint over problems, including signs of water damage or cracks in the wall. Take care of underlying problems before painting—or eventually the problems will become a crisis.

Painting Caution #5: Go slow before committing to a color. Color choices are an area where individual taste should rule. But the experts offer a few guidelines that will save you from having to repaint an interior or exterior that doesn’t look the way you expected. Chief among those guidelines is to examine color swatches in your home and then buy trial-size containers of paint to compare different shades on your walls. A color may look great in the store but not so great when you’re living with it.

With these cautions about paint in mind, I offer a final word of advice. Whether you’re painting the interior of your home or the exterior, make sure you deal with a professional painting contractor whose team understands that most shortcuts aren’t.

#exteriorpainting #interiorspainting #paintingcontractor #professionalpainting