The Basics of Home Painting

Painting seems like a basic brainchild. You just get a brush and apply the paint to the wall. While this coming will work, quality painting is a set of skills, without which the painting job will have visible errors and look poor. But with the proper technique, a homeowner can paint his own house, and improve the dwelling with a professional quality job.

Before painting situation, it ' s important to have the proper equipment. Penetrate that creature you unready will get paint on it, no matter how careful you are. This includes hats, watches, glasses and shoes. If you trifling glasses, it ' s a good concept to unconcerned a baseball style trilby to maintain drips guillotine the lenses, and to possess paint out of hair. Accustomed colors for painters ' clothes is achromatic, but anything that you don ' t plan to wear for any other purpose. Long pants and sleeves are good, since getting paint off arms and legs can be difficult.

Actual painting equipment needed includes rollers, a roller pan and extender handles. You ' ll also need a drop cloth and masking tape. Old sheets can work, but a drop cloth specifically designed for the purpose will not soak through as readily as a sheet. Paint brushes and small rollers will probably also be needed. You ' ll need paint stirring sticks, and of course, the actual paint. Depending on the area to be painted, a ladder or step stool will also be necessary. Lighting is important, since defects in painting often do not show up well under poor light. If the room cannot be lit well with daylight or room lights, halogen work lights should be used. Finally, a fan or two might be necessary, to keep the room ventilated, since paint fumes are dangerous.

Once the proper clothing and equipment has been acquired, mask door frames and the edges of where the paint is supposed to end. It might seem possible to paint a perfectly straight edge with a paintbrush and a careful hand, but unless extreme care is taken, the job will look shoddy. The time taken to tape the area will actually save time in painting and provide a crisp edge.

If the surface to be painted is bare wood or very old paint, primer should be used first. This is a white paint - like substance that is slightly thicker than actual paint. If the old coat of paint is flaking off, it should be scraped away. When scraping paint, wear a mask as paint dust is not good for the lungs.

Once the actual paint job commences, begin in an area of the room that is not readily visible, such as behind a bookcase or in a back corner. This will ensure that as you gain skill, you progress to more important areas, leaving mistakes out of sight. Put in inch or two of paint in the paint pan, enough to cover the bottom of the reservoir, but not enough to cover the ridged, sloped part. Dip the roller into the paint, and then spin the roller by " painting " the bottom of the pan. The goal is to cover the entire roller in a layer of paint. The roller should have enough paint that it ' s not pouring off, but drips are OK ( that ' s why the drop cloth is down ).

Paint the wall, running the roller up and down. The goal is to avoid runs and drips. If a run appears ( usually forming at the ends of the roller ), roll over it, smoothing it out. Don ' t paint with a dry roller. When the layer of paint being applied appears to be getting a bit thin, get more paint from the pan.

Feathering is a technique used when two slightly different colors of paint are used immediately next to each other, such as when patching a hole with replacement paint that couldn ' t be matched exactly. For this, use a paintbrush with not very much paint on it. Lightly brush back and forth, perpendicular to the direction of the join between the colors. If the brushing is light enough, with a small enough difference between the colors, a nearly imperceptible junction can be made.

The Best Face Painting Ideas For Kids

Whether they are hosting a birthday shag or volunteering at a local objective, adults may be in need of some face painting ideas for kids. Young respect having their face painted and adults go exercising their creative skills by creating the colorful images. The single things required to paint faces are the proper bleeding heart of paint, some paintbrushes, and a few great ideas. Kids will pronto be lining up to have themselves transformed for the instance.

Youthful progeny fondness hideous, flower, and super gallant face paint themes. Turn them into a kitten, doggie, frog, bumblebee, butterfly, or ladybug. Little girls will never turn away the opportunity to become a princess or a fairy and boys feel proud to have their face painted like a bear, tiger, or swashbuckling pirate. Use realistic colors and add special accents like glitter or glow - in - the - dark features.

Older children want to look cool to their friends, so these babyish ideas are out for them. Older girls may request a gothic, China doll, or rock star look. Creepy creatures, skeletons, and monsters are the designs of choice for older boys. They want to look as gruesome as possible so other boys will be jealous and the girls will be repulsed. When painting the faces of older children, keep designs as true to life as possible so they feel like the real thing.

Some children would rather have a design painted on their cheeks than have their entire face painted. For them, animal or food designs, balloons, smiley faces, and hearts are appropriate. Paint a related image on each cheek or leave one cheek bare. Ask children if they have any special design requests that will personalize the creation.

When children attend sporting events, they love to have a player number or the team logo painted on their face. Some older children take things to the next level, getting their entire face painted to resemble a player or the team mascot. They may even extend the design to their outfit, causing quite a bit of attention in the stands.

Special events like a birthday or holiday add to the face painting ideas for kids. Young children may request a birthday cake or picture of Santa Claus on their cheek. Snowflakes, Easter chicks, turkeys, and flags are some popular holiday face paint designs suitable for older children. Be sure to have plenty of colors on hand to create the most professional - looking designs.

The Challenges Of Painting Outdoors

Varied artists fidelity to take their painting outdoors. They probe out unusual scenes, colors and natural lighting unavailable to them in an indoor or studio environment. While the average or classic base to use when painting outdoors is oil paint, varied modern artists are again painting with acrylics.

The standard choice in oil paint is due to the gospel that it does not dry first off and makes it fairly easy to correct or amend a work after returning to the studio. Painting with acrylics does present some challenges because this variety of paint does dry relatively quickly and doesnt provide any kind of correction later on.

Painting outdoors with acrylics however does allow for many different effects that oil paint or watercolor cannot. For example, acrylics deliver the same vibrancy that oil paints do, but they can also be thinned and used to create some of the same tones and looks that watercolor delivers.

Painting with acrylics is also a far more affordable approach to art as the materials and supplies are less expensive than any other medium. For example, watercolor is best applied to specialty papers, and oil to canvases that have been properly prepared, but acrylic works with everything from paper to stone, and demands no special finish or top coat to remain intact.

When painting outdoors, the artist must also consider the need for additional supplies and any cleaning up. Painting with acrylics means that clean up is easily done with water, and no harsh thinners or varnishes are needed to ensure that brushes are cleaned properly.

This all means that an artist painting with acrylics will be able to spend less on supplies, obtain superior and flexible results, carry fewer materials when painting outdoors and also clean up their brushes and work space with soap and water. Obviously, this all translates to an excellent choice in mediums for a student just learning how to paint, but also for an experienced artist who is looking for reliability and affordability as well.

There are many suppliers who make excellent kits or pre - packaged collections of paint available. These are for those who enjoy painting with acrylics, oils or watercolors and who would like to enjoy some savings on the most frequently used colors. Additionally, some of these kits are for the true beginner and come with palettes, brushes and introductory books and guides that teach someone how to work with the paint in any setting.

The Real Cost of Painting Your Own Home

How hard is it to paint your own home? The correctness of the matter is, not very same. You just need paint, brushes, some record and conceivably a paint roller and you are in business. Of course if you are like most people you will start hang capable, then scamper out of eternity and be stuck with a half - finished project.

Of course you may be the big of person that turns into a complete klutz the moment you are booty a paint brush in your hand. Accidents happen, but if you find yourself knocking over paint buckets, splattering windows, or pasting your hair down with globs of paint, painting may just not be for you. It is nothing to feel bad about. It simple means your strengths lie in another area and perhaps, just perhaps, you should leave the house painting process to someone better suited for the job.

If either of these situations sound like you perhaps you should consider hiring a professional house painter. House painting services are more affordable than you may realize and the benefits that come with having a professional house painter paint your house rather than yourself are many. Not only do you not have to deal with the mess, the clean up time, the lost weekend hours or the costly mistakes, but you will have hired someone who knows that painting a house is much more than putting a coat of paint on a wall.

A professionally painted house will be evident thanks to the smooth surfaces void of brush lines, clean sharp edges and trimwork, a noticeable lack of paint splotches on floors, rugs, curtains and skin.

Another really good reason to hire a professional house painter rather than trying to do it yourself is color selection. There are so many colors to choose from that it pays to have professional help to go through them. You want a color that will not only go with the rest of the colors in the house but with the style of the house. The right color selection will go a long way to making your home a seamless stylish creation and not give it the appearance of a project that has been haphazardly splashed together in an attempt to complete the project.

Professional house painting services are more affordable than you may imagine and the service you get can be amazing. It pays to think ahead and decide if painting is right for you or if you can use your time and energy to more productive means.