This week at a home center, I discovered a line of Ralph Lauren designer interior house paints sporting names such as Ballroom Gold, Candlelight Silver and (my personal favorite) Polo Mallet White.
Alongside the paint were $45 Ralph Lauren painting kits with little brushes, stencils and an instructional video to finish your walls to look like antique leather, denim or chambray.
I’m sorry, but even if I wanted my walls to dress better than I do, I’m not going out of my way to employ a painting technique that costs more and takes longer than regular painting. In fact, I do as little regular painting as possible.
But if you have to paint a room or two, now’s a popular time to do the job.
The rule of thumb for buying the right interior paint and other materials is to go middle-of-the-road.
The cheapest paints–about $10 to $15 a gallon–are often more trouble than they’re worth. They spatter and drip and don’t cover old colors well. The most expensive paints–$35 or more per gallon–are easier to use than average paints, but the typical do-it-yourselfer probably won’t want to pay that much.
Expect to spend about $18 to $25 per gallon of paint, and, in most cases, you’ll be using an acrylic latex paint. Latex paint is water based, so it cleans up easily with soap and water. It also dries quickly.
The other option is oil-based paint, which requires solvents for cleanup and dries more slowly but more smoothly.
Tom Kauflin, a paint store manager, said customers buying oil-based interior paints these days are using it primarily to repaint trim that was previously painted with oil-based paint.
Areas previously painted with oil-based paint can be repainted with latex paint, but a primer coat must be applied first, Kauflin said.
It’s a good idea to buy paint from a paint specialty store or from an experienced sales staffer in a home improvement store. The person should be knowledgeable enough to advise you on which paint is best for your project.
“Gloss,” the shiniest paint grade, sheds stains well and can be washed, but gloss paints make blemishes more obvious. Gloss paints can be used for cabinets and trim in kitchens and bathrooms.
“Flat” paint has no shine, and “eggshell” has a bit more. They’re typically used for bedrooms, where the walls don’t take a lot of abuse.
“Satin” is the most popular type of paint for walls in living rooms, family rooms and dining rooms. “Semigloss,” which is shinier than satin but not as shiny as gloss, is used for kitchen and bathroom walls and for trim in rooms painted with satin paint.
If you’re using a custom-blended color, buy a small can. Paint the inside of a closet or some inconspicuous area and decide if you like the color on the wall before buying enough paint for the whole job.
Latex paints require synthetic brushes of polyester or nylon. Cheap brushes–$2 or $3 for a 3-inch brush–might have bristles that pull out and mix with paint, so pay a little more for decent quality. You’ll need at least one small angled brush for trim and one wider brush for small surfaces. It also pays to buy good-quality roller covers.
Plastic drop cloths come in handy, but avoid drop cloths that are 1 millimeter thick or less. They’re hard to handle and puncture easily. Canvas drop cloths are absorbent and less likely to cause you to slip.
Here are some tips for getting a room ready to paint:
Wash away any obvious dirt on walls and ceilings with a grease-cutting detergent.
Clean dark mildew stains with a bleach-and-detergent solution or commercial mildew remover.
Everything you can carry should be taken out of the room. Push large furniture to the center of the room and cover with a plastic drop cloth.
Glossy paint should be “deglossed” by sanding or priming or processing with a deglossing agent.
Small wall dents and nail holes should be patched with joint compound or some other filler material.
Larger holes in wallboard or cracks in plaster must be patched. Seek advice at a home improvement store.
All repairs should be allowed to dry and sanded smooth before painting. Previously unpainted wallboards must be primed.
Before attempting to paint over wallpaper, take a sample of the paper to a paint professional and seek advice on how to proceed. You might need to strip the wallpaper off or cover it with a primer coat.
Patience is the key to painting, because you get the best results by working carefully in small areas.
Don’t overload the roller. If ridges of paint form at the edge of your roller stroke, the roller is too wet. Dip the roller often.
Dip the roller and paint a wide “W” shape on the wall. Redip and fill in the “W” with back-and-forth strokes. Finish the area by smoothing the paint with vertical strokes.
Before the roller-painted areas dry, paint the corners with a brush, pad or corner roller. Some painters prefer to paint the corners first and then use the roller.
Dip the brush to about one-third of the bristle length and tap (don’t wipe or drag) the brush inside the can to remove excess paint. Wiping the brush on the can lid removes most of the paint the brush holds and slows down your work. Paint in long smooth strokes, pressing just hard enough to flex the bristles.
In most cases, paint professionals suggest two coats of paint unless you’re repainting a room in the same color.
Your most meticulous work will be around windows and baseboards. Work slowly and carefully to avoid damaging carpets, floors and glass.
Applying masking tape to areas you want to avoid painting can be helpful, but be careful when choosing tape. Common masking tape should be left in place no more than 24 hours, and it can damage delicate surfaces such as wallpaper and unpainted wallboard.
If your window frames are easy to remove and replace, it might be easier to take them out to paint. Don’t paint the sides or bottoms of the sashes.
