Tips for Painting Woodwork on Your Home

Painting woodwork around the home can be one of the most satisfying DIY tasks to undertake, but it’s also one of the most intimidating if you’ve never done it before. And with every room you complete, your confidence grows and so does your sense of accomplishment and pride in your home. That said, there are still pitfalls to avoid when painting woodwork on your home that may make the job more difficult than it needs to be. Here are some simple tips for painting woodwork around the home that will help you out immensely on this DIY project. If you are stuck, just get professional painters colwyn bay in to help.

Getting Started

To get started, make sure you have all of your tools and materials ready to go. Assemble any power tools that you need to use and place them in an accessible area so they're easy to get at once you begin. 

Picking a Colour

Wood is a very popular choice of material when decorating your home. It can look great when painted in a bold and bright colour, but many people prefer more traditional colours like white and cream. Before you start painting, it’s important to choose an appropriate colour. For example, natural tones such as beige and cream will match most furnishings that are already in your home, whereas bolder colours are better suited to bedrooms or playrooms where you won’t have as much furniture to compete with. If you are unsure about what colour would look best, ask someone else’s opinion or visit some interior design magazines to get inspiration from other homes.

Preparation - sanding the existing paint lightly

 It's important to sand down old paint sufficiently, but too much and you can sand through and damage your existing woodwork. When sanding, it's also worth using an electric sander over hand sanding. This will speed up the process and save time. For best results, only lightly sand over each area that you are going to repaint – with enough of a thin layer of old paint removed so that your new paint will stick firmly.

Applying Undercoat

Undercoating isn’t just a great idea because it will protect your new paint job, but also because it makes your painting project easier and less frustrating. Instead of running into tricky drips and uneven coats, using an undercoat means you can move through your home with ease. An undercoat is a thin layer of paint applied over wood before applying a second coat. Undercoats are typically white or very light in colour so that you end up with an even coat of regular paint over them; they’re usually latex-based to prevent chipping or cracking.

Putting on the gloss coat on the top

But most of us like our freshly painted woodwork to have a glossy sheen so it looks as good as possible, even in indirect light. Applying a gloss coat is pretty straightforward - just gloss and take your time, long strokes.

Tips For Getting A Perfect Finish

Getting a perfect finish is more than just following a step-by-step process - it takes time, patience and planning. The key to painting woodwork is preparation. No matter how experienced you are, if you're working with older or weathered wood, take extra care as you prepare your surfaces and put down your first coat of paint.