Painting Homes Using Brushes

How to Paint Your Homes Using Brushes

The preparation

Before you start painting, prepare the walls and ceilings. Vacuum clean and wipe the walls and ceiling free from dust and dirt. For grease spots on the walls and ceiling, use a commercial cleaner to remove them. These spots will only show through the paint if not removed. Place drop cloths or plastic sheathing over floors, furniture or on any object in the room. Be sure to use painters tape on all door trim, window trim, and the baseboard. Continue to tape around the edges of cabinet edges, bookcases and ceiling fixtures. Cover counter tops and built-in shelving units to avoid paint on it later.

The process of painting the ceiling

If you have a different color for the ceiling and the wall, begin by cutting in the paint around the ceiling. Using an angled paintbrush, dip in the paint. Paint around and out the edges of the ceiling for about two inches away. This keeps your roller brush from bumping into the wall later. For unsteady hands, use a sponge painter with wheels on its side. This will guide you along the wall or ceiling edges.

But if you are using the same color paint for both the ceiling and walls, there is no need to worry about having a straight line between the wall and ceiling.
Place paint in the tray or paint pan. Attach the extension handle to the roller brush. Start placing and rolling the roller brush to the paint pan completely covering it with paint.

Start rolling slowly the roller brush onto the ceiling without pressing too hard. In pressing the roller hard will leave lines in the paint. Just keep a good amount of paint on the roller brush to prevent dripping. Roll back and forth in a small section that you can reach. After which move to another section and repeat your procedure until the entire ceiling is covered by paint. After the paint has dried, decide if it needs another coat. With more coats though, the color is better enhanced.

Painting the Walls

Begin by cutting in the walls. Use the painters tape again. This process is more time consuming than the ceiling. You have to go along the ceiling and floor, around doors, windows and around any other obstructions in the room. You also have to go around each corner. After you have taped off everything, it would easy for you to cut in paint without worrying about getting paint on anything.

Use a clean roller brush and roll on your paint in the pan. Use only as much paint on the roller brush to avoid dripping. You can also use the extension handle to get to the top of the walls. Take it off when doing the bottom part of the walls.

Constantly use the up-and-down motion when applying paint. Move over to another area little by little with each stroke. Then let the paint dry and check for missed spots. While you wait, wrap the roller brush in plastic wrap to keep the paint from drying out. When paint is dry, start your second coat and repeat procedure. Some prefer to have three to four coats.

When everything is done, pull off the tape and clean up drop cloths and plastic sheathing. If your brushes are reusable, clean them out. If using latex paint, wash your brushes with water. For oil based paints, wash your brushes with a can of turpentine or mineral spirits.

Thank you for your interest in “How to Paint Your Homes Using Brushes”.