At L.A Design Centre we know that surface preparation (often shortened to 'prep') is not the most enjoyable part of painting. It is, unfortunately, an incredibly important step. Without adequate surface prep the chances of issues like blistering and peeling increase with every short-cut taken. It is very important to make sure that your surface is clean, dry and in good repair. Follow these basic steps for surface prep to increase the efficiency of your project and achieve a consistent, beautiful and long lasting paint job.
1. Remove any hardware, like light switch covers, or hinges.
2. Wash the surface thoroughly with a degreasing solution, like TSP. Rinse if required as some de-greasers will leave behind a residue that your paint will not stick to. It should say on the product packaging if you'll need to rinse. TSP comes in both a powdered and liquid form. The powdered version you will mix with water and any surfaces you use this solution on you will have to rinse as a phosphate residue is left behind after washing. The liquid form is available in a spray or in a concentrate. Just spray onto your rag or sponge and then clean your surface or mix the concentrate with hot water and use the solution to do your cleaning. The liquid form we carry at L.A. Design Centre is eco friendly so no rinsing is required and it's easier on the skin.
3. Do any patching or repairs.
4. Sand repairs once all patching compound is dry. If the surface being painted is glossy, do a light scuff sand across the entire area to promote adhesion of the new product.
5. Dust.
6. Mask off any areas you do not want your new paint on. Use a good quality tape like, ShurTech's Frog Tape and poly or masking paper for larger areas.
You are now ready to apply your primer and/or paint.
A little extra effort and doing things correctly the first time saves a lot of headache in the end. So do the work now, keep yourself from taking those initial short cuts and save yourself a lot of unnecessary work in the future!
