Decorating your home can make a significant difference to your quality of life, as living in a home that feels as though it is yours can make a big difference to how comfortable you feel when you are relaxing at home. Painting is one of the most traditional ways of decorating your home, and sometimes a change in the color can actually make a big change to the atmosphere of a room or open plan space, and make it a nicer place to spend time. However, unless you are a professional decorator then there can be plenty of things to consider when you are painting a room or doing a full redecoration, so here are a few things you’ll want to test and consider before laying down the protective materials.

Not Testing Out The Paint Color First

When you know you are going to be redecorating, one of the first things you’ll want to do is to visit a paint shop and have a look at the different colors available, but it is vital that you test the paint at home first. The shades of the paint may look different on a tester than it does on the wall at home, so getting a sample to test on a small area of the wall can save you time and money if you find out the paint doesn’t look as good at home as it does in the store. When you have your sampler, try to use this in an unobtrusive part of the room, so that if you don’t like how it looks it won’t ruin the room as you search for the right paint.

Failing To Prepare The Surface That Is Receiving The Paint

In many cases painting a room is more than just painting over what is on the walls already, so make sure that you prepare the surface appropriately before you start applying the paint brush or the roller. Cleaning the surface that is being painted is one important part of the preparation, as you don’t want any old cobwebs or scuffs in the surface to show through the new layer of paint that you are applying. In many cases, it can also be very important to use a primer which helps prepare the surface to receive the paint, and will also help to protect the material beneath the layer of paint too.

Causing A Color Clash With Paint In Hallways Or Adjoining Rooms

This is more of an issue when you are thinking about the color that you want to apply in a room which opens out on to other rooms. For example, if there is no door between the hallway and open plan living area, the clash in colors between the hallway and living area can be jarring if you haven’t considered this. This type of color clash can also happen if you have rooms that are regularly left with connecting doors open, such as those between a lounge and dining room.

Not Using Painter’s Tape To Protect Your Fixtures And Other Surfaces

Protecting the surfaces around the walls that are going to be painted is very important, and even one drop of paint dripping on to a light fitting can ruin the clean look of the room, and really stand out to anyone walking into the room. Painter’s tape is an adhesive tape that can be applied around the edges of light switches and electrical sockets to prevent this kind of error from happening. You should also make sure you are protecting skirting boards and any decorative boards around the ceiling to prevent the paint from being applied here too.

Going For The Cheapest Paint Options

This mistake is often the result of not testing the color of the paint that you are using as well, as once you have bought the full tin or tins of paint, then you won’t be able to return them. While budget can be an important consideration, it is also worth considering that a less expensive paint may not be as durable and may not have the same quality of finish as a more expensive option. If it is for a spare bedroom, then this may not impact you as much, but it is important to get the sample and test it first.

Overbrushing Your Paint Onto Surfaces

If you are going to be using a paintbrush to paint the rooms in your home, overbrushing is where you are running the brush over each part of the surface several times. Ideally you should only be brushing the paint two or three times once it has been applied to the surface that you are painting. By overbrushing the paint, you are more likely to see visible brush strokes and other blemishes in the overall finish you get once the paint has dried.