How to Prep Walls for Painting

When it comes to painting, we all want to jump in and just start rolling that beautiful new color on the wall. But spending a few extra minutes on prep work will give you much better results and help you avoid problems along the way. Learn how to prep walls for painting in this Lowe’s video:

Start by clearing the room or moving furniture to the center and covering with plastic. For the floor, use canvas drop cloths since plastic can get slippery. Shut off the circuit breakers to the room you’re painting. Then remove cover plates from switches and outlets and protect with tape. If you’re painting the ceiling, pop off the blades of your ceiling fan, slide the colver plate down and wrap with plastic. Doorknobs can be wrapped with a plastic bag.

Once you’ve got the place covered, you can start making repairs. Strip old wallpaper with a paper remover and removal tools. For flaking paint, use a putty knife to scrape it off; no need for elbow grease, just remove the loose stuff.

Now if you’re like the rest of us, you probably have a few dings in your walls, but no worries – they’re an easy fix. First clean the hole with a brush, then apply some spackle, or wood filler for trimwork. Let it dry, sand smooth and prime. A patch kit works great for large holes. To fix serious damage, watch this How to Repair Drywall video.

A clean wall is essential for a quality paint job. Vacuum dust and do a quick wipe down with a damp rag. If your walls have oil or other residue on them, wash with trisodium phosphate (TSP) for a more thorough cleaning. Then rinse with water and let dry.

The next step is priming. Priming is needed when painting over bare drywall, stained or repaired areas, high-gloss finishes and drastic color changes. There are many paint-and-primer-in-one products available that can save time on this step.

Some surfaces like trimwork that have been painted with oil-based paint can’t be painted over with latex. Here’s how to check. Wet a cotton swab with alcohol and rub the surface. If the paint comes off, it’s latex; if not, it’s oil. In that case, lightly sand the surface and cover with a bonding primer.