If you want to paint your home professional, probably the easiest way is to hire someone to do it for you as they can meet all your painting and decorating needs. Companies such as Martyn Clegg have plenty of experience and the necessary tools for a high calibre finish.

When it comes to achieving a professional finish, you need to take time to get it right, shortcuts will mean your finish might not be as smooth or you’re trying to add the second coat too soon. Preparation and patience are key if you want a good result.

Take Time Prepping

Firstly, put down protective sheets to protect your floor covering. It is tempting to dive straight into painting and decorating to see quick results! However, you could ruin your flooring if you don’t take adequate preparations.

Then start cleaning the walls you plan to paint. You need to make sure you have no dirt that will prevent you having a smooth finish. We usually use sugar soap liquid here, its great at getting rid of all that grease and grime that builds up!

If you have gloss painted skirting and door frames you can gently sand back the first layer of paint. You can also use paint stripper to help you out here. It’s all about providing better adhesion when you start painting. If you are re-decorating a room that used to have a heavy smoker sugar soap can get rid of nicotine stains. You cannot just paint over nicotine stains as they will leech though again. So don’t try and skip stages.

You will want to use a primer if you’re changing the paint colour drastically too. Use decorating tape to protect your skirting and door frames. Never attempt to remove this off wet paint, I have learnt this mistake the hard way and pulled away my lovely paintjob.

Pick The Correct Paint

It’s a good idea to see what paint the professionals are using. They have tried lots of different paints and will know what will work and what won’t. There are plenty of articles online that make suggestions such as Dulux Trade, Leyland Paints or Crown Trade.

Once you have narrowed down to a particular brand you like, make sure you pick the right paint for the job. There is matt, satin, eggshell or gloss. Gloss you use to do your skirting and door framework as its very durable. Those areas tend to get damaged more easily from traffic than the walls themselves. Paint can also be oil based or water based.

We tend to opt for water based matt paint as its better for hiding imperfections as it’s not so shiny. But with adequate preparation you shouldn’t have to worry about imperfections.

The Right Tools

Don’t skimp on quality. We have used cheap rollers and paint brushes before, and bristles end up coming off running our efforts. Avoiding buying your painting tools on a budget. On cheaper brushes the strap that grips onto the brushes is not tight enough so you will keep losing bristles whilst working.

If you want a flawless finish without drips and brush strokes, it’s well worth investing in an electric paint sprayer. These can vary in price but by hiring a professional to do the job they will have the required tools already. Plus, you won’t have to clean up the tools afterwards, that has to be my least favourite part of any paint job! Especially in this case as it looks quite complicated making sure dials, pipes, the bowl and the draw tube are all thoroughly washed through.

The Appropriate Technique

The recommended order is usually skirting, frames, ceiling and then walls. In between stages make sure everything is completely dry! Don’t try and push ahead too soon. Before you paint the walls do your cutting in then using the roller with the right level of pressure. More when you’re initially dumping the first load of paint, but less pressure when you’re colouring in any remaining sections to achieve a light texture on the wall.

Be careful to make sure everything blends well, it’s best to overlap your roller strokes. Don’t rush, the more time spent the better the end result.

More Tips Of The Trade

Use a hammer to gently tap the paint tub shut. So many times, I haven’t closed it properly and the paint has started to dry out.

Caulk is your friend if you’re hoping for a seamless finish with your paintwork. I should have used caulk on the ceiling trim in my room of my youngest soon. The paint has started to peel over time, and it would have fared much better with caulk.

Don’t buy cheap paint or it won’t provide enough coverage and it’s a false economy as you will need to paint more layers to get your desired finish.

Hopefully you’re all set now to paint your home professionally. Although personally from choice I am going to book the professionals next time. I actually got so overwhelmed painting our big house, it made me miserable. So from choice I think next time I will have to start much smaller one room at a time or get someone in to help.