What To Know Before Taking On A Home Painting Project Yourself

Of the many projects that homeowners might consider attempting themselves — rather than hiring a pro — painting interiors is among the most achievable.

Refreshing a bedroom, kitchen or bathroom is not an insurmountable challenge for those who can manage a bit of patience, time and knowhow, especially when given some expert advice. It’s all a matter of diligent preparation, proper materials, elbow grease and a steady hand.

“We first ask them what they’re painting, whether it’s an interior wall, trim, door, floor, ceiling,” explains Kevin Schmidt, manager of the Aboff’s Paints on Hampton Road in Southampton Village.

“We ask them what type of a room, whether it’s a bedroom or kitchen or bathroom,” he adds, noting that these questions will determine what kind of paint a customer needs. “Anything like a kitchen or bathroom, you want to use something that has a higher sheen, so it’s more washable and durable, which would be like an eggshell finish usually, where something like a bedroom wall would be a flat [paint], that’s a nonreflective surface so it will absorb light rather than reflect it.”

Trim, too, requires a shinier paint to offset it from the walls, Mr. Schmidt says.

“I would think about prep work first,” Shinnecock Hardware’s Hampton Bays store manager Randy Layburn says, pointing out that it’s important to tape off edges fresh paint shouldn’t touch, while also laying down drop cloths to protect floors and furniture. And, he adds, all wall, trim and ceiling surfaces should be smooth, with any cracks and holes caulked, spackled and sanded before brushes and rollers ever see a drop of paint. Mr. Layburn says taping takes some skill, but “As long as you tape the right areas and tape off the right angles of the trim and walls, and angles of the ceiling, you should be good.” He also reminds would-be painters to always remove tape before paint is dry.

As a general rule, according to both experts, primer is needed when covering darker colors, raw wood or walls with damage or staining, but many of the thicker, high-quality paint-and-primer-in-one offerings will do the job efficiently without the addition of a separate primer.

“Some of our more premium paint, like our [Benjamin Moore] Aura line or our Regal Select line, have a paint and primer in one,” Mr. Schmidt says. “It will take one less coat usually,” he continues, noting that cheaper paint can require more coats, leading a customer to purchase more cans.

Despite these truths, Mr. Schmidt says primer is never a bad idea, and it’s especially vital to purchase oil-based primer to paint a room that once had wallpaper because water-based paints will reactivate the glue and make a mess of any topcoat. “Oil-based primer will seal that out and give you a good substrate for your topcoat,” he adds, though these paints are harder to cleanup and are much more toxic that their popular acrylic and latex counterparts. “When a paint is drying, you don’t really want to be breathing that stuff in,” Mr. Schmidt says.

“Oil is very good if you have deep stains in the walls, like water stains, or if there were previously smokers in the house, you’d use an oil stain to cover over the smells and the tougher-to-cover stains,” Mr. Layburn agrees.

When it comes to colors and design, both men say grays continue to be the most popular.

“Beige was in a few years ago, but now it’s gray,” Mr. Layburn recalls, noting that neutral tones have long been on-trend in the Hamptons. “People do like dark colors on one wall, and they offset it with a lighter color,” he adds, describing another popular trend. “It takes a lot of skill when it comes to offsetting different colors,” he says, recommending perusing the store’s Benjamin Moore booklets for guidance choosing color combinations.

“For picking colors, we offer color samples that are usually around $7,” Mr. Schmidt suggests. “It’s best to see the color in your lighting and your room before you choose a color and then regret it because it doesn’t look like it did in the paint store.”

Of course, white ceilings — which should always be painted in a flat finish to absorb the most light — are still standard in almost every room in every home, though Mr. Schmidt says bathrooms and kitchens may use a slightly higher sheen so not to absorb grease, water or humidity.

Layburn says most interior painting will go well with a 3/8-inch roller nap, while 1/2-to-3/4-inch nap is better for rougher surfaces, such as a deck or a brick fireplace, because they hold more paint and apply it more easily.

Above all, practice is key. Like any skill-based activity, no amount of reading will replace hands-on experience. One learns in the doing, but a little knowledge goes a long way to how fast that learning comes.