Preparing for Decorative Painting

The key to getting a really great looking final product is the preparation. Choose your colors wisely. This point cannot be stressed enough. If your guinea pig is a bedroom loaded with antique furniture, gently worn and battered over time, handmade quilts with soft inviting colors and gauzy flowing curtains you do not want to paint your room fire engine red, no matter how much you love the color. Now, that may be an exaggeration and everyone could see that it’s not a good color choice, but there are more subtle colors that would have a similarly ghastly effect.

A warm color is one that evokes excitement. While a cool color promotes serenity. You’ll get your best result if you stick with one tone, be it warm or cool. This is not a rule and experienced painters can do dramatic effects by mixing the two, but beginners would be well advised to stick to one tone.

Once you have selected your colors and are sure they are the best colors for your room, try a test board. A piece of drywall is the most realistic test board but it’s not necessary. A piece of primed and base coated posterboard will work just fine, but remember that it will not be an exact representation of your finished product. The test board will give you a better idea of what the colors you’ve chosen look like together and in the room. If you find that the colors just aren’t what you expected it’s easier to buy more paint than it is to repaint a room. Paint dries slightly darker so the color in the can is not the final color.

When you’re buying paint get as much paint as you need to complete the entire project. Different batches or runs of paint will produce slight variations in color, which could cause a drastic outcome in your room. If you underestimate the amount of paint you’ll need and you’re halfway through the gallon when you realize you’ll need more paint, stop right there! Get more paint and mix your original gallon with the new paint in half and half proportions. This will eliminate any subtle differences in color.

Taping your room is another key preparation element. Although tape may seem like an unnecessary expense, it is well worth the cost and effort. Nothing ruins an effect more than sloppy ceiling lines and paint bleeding through to trim and other non-painted surfaces. If in doubt - tape!

When you’ve painted a portion of the room and feel satisfied with the outcome feel free to remove the tape. In fact removing tape early is a good idea. When the paint is wet the tape will simply lift off of the surfaces it was applied to, but when the paint is dry it will adhere to the tape. This means as the tape is pulled it will take chunks of paint with it. Repainting an area can be difficult or impossible depending on the faux finishing technique used. Removing tape early will also give you a better idea of what the finished room will look like.

Remember, when faux finishing or using a decorative painting technique, painting is not the only thing to consider. Don’t skip any of the preparation steps and you’ll get professional-quality results every time.