When your home needs to be painted, you can complete the job yourself or hire a professional painter to help you. From your paint selection to preparation and applying the paint, it is important that you remember some essential tips and insight to get the job completed properly and successfully. Here are some recommendations to help you with your upcoming interior home painting project.

Calculate Your Paint Needs

To paint your home interior, you will need to choose a paint color and type of paint, whether it is latex or oil, and purchase the right amount of paint. For this reason, you will need to calculate how much paint you need, which is sold by the gallon. Measure the square footage of your home that you will need to paint, whether it is by room or the entire house. Usually, one gallon of paint will cover a specific square footage. If you need to apply two layers of paint, be sure you double your needs. Check the paint can for its recommended coverage space and be sure to purchase enough so you have a bit more than your project so you don't run out, especially if you are applying tinted paint. 

When you plan to paint a tinted paint color and need more than one gallon, empty all the paint cans to combine them within a five-gallon bucket so you can mix them all into one batch. The reason for this is because although each paint can is mixed to be the same color, variations can occur in the tinting process. So when you combine them and mix them well, this prevents the occurrence of getting different colors on your finished wall.

Evaluate Existing Surfaces

The surfaces in your home that you will be painting may vary in their texture, existing surface paint, cleanliness, and condition, so you should make sure to consider each and prepare it properly before you apply new paint. If, for example, you apply paint onto a dirty wall, the dirt and debris are going to be stuck in your new paint layer and remain in place until you paint over it. And debris can leave bumps and irregularities in your wall paint. So, before you paint, wipe down the walls with a damp rag to remove dirt and dust. Then, if you are painting a kitchen wall or wall that gets a lot of fingerprints, you are going to be better off cleaning the wall with a degreaser, such as trisodium phosphate (TSP).

When you paint a textured wall or ceiling surface, be sure you use a high nap paint roller that will apply paint down into the ridges of the surface. And be sure you calculate your paint coverage for more surface area that needs to be painted over. Then, be sure to patch and prime any damage, and always prime over new drywall before you paint.

To learn more about the process, contact companies like Albrecht & Son LLC.