A freshly painted room can give a new look and feel to your home.  Fresh paint is a great selling point, too.  

However, it is important to do the job correctly.   Here are few tips to help you save time, money and get good results! 

Before you start:

          Turn off electrical power to the room and remove the cover plates on switches and outlets. 

          Remove window hardware - if necessary. 

          Cover wall lighting fixtures, or remove them. 

          Remove door knobs and strike plates at the latch. 

          If you don't remove all of the furniture be sure to cover and protect it; moving all furniture to the center of the room is helpful too. 

          Protect the floor with a heavy duty drop cloth - be sure to use more than a "thin" sheet - if you drop or spill be sure the drop cloth will hold the spill. 

          Patch any holes - use a putty knife and wall-patch compound.  Allow it to dry overnight.  Be sure to sand repaired area, then clean area so no dust remains.

Wash the walls from the bottom up using TSP (available in most hardware stores).  Rinse walls with clean water and a sponge.  Allow walls to dry before taping. Protect molding, windowsills with painters tape.  Make sure tape is flush with molding for best results.  Use tape where you desire a straight line and/or patterns or decorations for different colors of paint.  

Finally - apply the paint!   Experts recommend using a primer before adding your final color.  For best results paint in the following order: ceiling; walls, baseboard trim, door, door trim, window trim. 

Happy Painting!    

Irvine California Real Estate