The time-honoured adage ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is particularly true when it comes to painting your home. This is even more important when working with older surfaces that may need restoration and repair.
Art Green hasn’t begun putting paint-to-wall on his Warkworth renovation just yet, so ahead of tackling that task, we sat down with Art and Resene paint expert Jay Sharples to talk all things prep, prime and paint. The good news? It’s not as labour-intensive or difficult as you might think, but it’s crucial for achieving a beautiful, long-lasting finish.
1. Lead with caution
If you’re working with painted surfaces in older homes, particularly those built before the 1970s, it’s important to check for lead paint before you begin. Lead testing kits are available from Resene ColorShops.
“If lead is present, you need to take extra precautions when removing the old paint, including containing and disposing of all the removed paint debris,” says Jay.
“It may require handling by a professional. Having said that if you’re not stripping or aggressively sanding old paintwork, it is fine to apply a fresh coat of paint after normal preparation has been undertaken.”
2. Clean sweep
If your walls are free of lead paint, start with a thorough clean. Resene recommends using its Interior Paintwork Cleaner as a general cleaner to remove surface dust, finger marks and shoe scuffs. If painting a kitchen or bathroom with soap scum or oil and grease marks use a stronger household cleaner like Jif to remove. You will need to rinse the surface after however. Treat any mildew with Resene Moss and Mould Killer.
3. Fill and fix
After decades of everyday life, it’s normal for walls to have the odd dent, crack or hook hole. Before painting the walls in his home, Art uses Resene EzyFill Quick to repair small imperfections like redundant picture hook holes. It is quick-drying, easily sanded and can be painted over in just 30 minutes. A clever trick for filling old hook holes is to lightly push a pencil into the gap until the rough edges flatten slightly into the wall. This helps create a smoother surface for filling. For larger holes use PAL Contract Filler, which is the most popular trade filler on the New Zealand market.
4. Smooth and prime
Next, lightly sand the wall to create an even surface. A sanding head attached to a pole makes the job easier. Remove any dust afterwards with a brush or broom. Finally, spot prime filled areas with Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat using light, cross-hatched brushstrokes. This helps prevent visible edges when you apply your topcoat. Then it’s time for colour – and for the best finish, the experts recommend two coats of your chosen Resene paint.
Resene Professional Tip
Decant paint and stain into paint pot when painting. Not only are they easier to dip and wipe your brush onto, they are lighter and less prone to spills than dipping your brush into larger, mostly full containers.
Chat to the staff at your local Resene ColorShop for all the prep, priming and painting advice you’ll need to get a quality finish, or head online to resene.co.nz for more information.
