Are you remodeling your home? You may be remodeling or adding a room. That usually requires you to construct new walls, which will probably be made of drywall. You’ve mudded and taped all the seams, sanded them down, applied texture, and now you’re ready to paint the walls. But don’t pick up that roller or brush yet!

Drywall Needs Special Attention

Painting drywall surfaces requires different processes than walls that have been previously painted. If you don’t do it right, your walls will be streaky with the seams visible. Here are some steps to take to get the best results.

1. Start with a Clean Surface.

Finishing drywall requires lots of sanding. Sanding leaves behind lots of dust. You’ll need to make sure you remove as much as possible before beginning the painting project.

Use a soft cloth to wipe the walls down and vacuum or sweep up any dust on the floor. Wipe the walls again with a damp cloth. Make sure the cloth isn’t too wet. Allow surface to dry.

2. Protect Areas that Won’t Be Painted.

Of course, this is true of every paint project, but it bears repeating here. You don’t want your floors and furniture to be splattered with paint. Nor do you want adjacent walls or ceilings to get unwanted paint on them.

Use painter’s tape along the edges of all bordering trim, baseboards, walls, and ceilings that won’t be painted. Cover any stationary furniture with plastic drop cloths. Make sure you tape drop cloths seams together, so paint doesn’t leak through. Use cloth coverings on floors and carpeting. Paint spilled on plastic drop cloths presents opportunities to step in it, causing accidents and tracking it throughout the house.

3. Prime the Walls.

Applying the right primer to drywall is very important to avoid using multiple coats of paint. Using primer is cheaper and will save you money on the paint itself. Two coats of paint should do the trick on a properly primed drywall surface Drywall needs the primer for three main reasons:

  • Drywall is faced with paper that is very porous and soaks up lots of paint.
  • Drywall will still have seams and fastener holes that will show through the painted surface without primer.
  • Areas near the seams may have been over-sanded, leaving a scuff, porous surface.

All of these may have different rates of absorption, so if you paint onto bare drywall, it could result in a mottled, streaked finish.

4. Determine Your Painting Method.

You can use a roller or sprayer for painting drywall. A sprayer uses less paint and is faster, but it can create quite a mess if you’re not careful. It also requires adequate ventilation. Painting with a roller is easier to control; however, make sure you use a high-quality one or you’ll be left with fibers in the painted surface.

5. Use the Right Paint.

As with any painting project, choosing the right paint finish is important. An eggshell finish paint is usually the best choice, as it can be washed and touched up easily. Flat latex covers imperfections better but is hard to clean. Glossy finishes are easy to clean but are more difficult to touch up.

6. Hire a Professional Drywall Painter.

The best way to get high quality results when painting drywall is to hire an expert to do it for you! ACP Painting, LLC has many years of experience painting drywall. Even with newly installed drywall, there could still be imperfections that will affect the final paint job. You may not even be aware of them, but we are experienced in recognizing such defects.

Repairing Drywall

Drywall is a commonly used product to build new walls because it can withstand wear and a certain amount of abuse. But time and wear and tear will play a toll, causing dents, holes, cracks, and other issues.

ACP Painting is skilled at repairing all types of drywall damage. We can patch up holes, small or large, fill in dents and cracks, and create a smooth surface. Only then do we prep and paint the walls with high quality products. You’ll get the results you want and deserve, guaranteed!

Choose a Trusted Local Painting Contractor

ACP Painting, LLC, has been serving the Maricopa area for over 15 years. We provide residential and commercial interior and exterior painting services. We offer expert drywall and stucco repair and painting, as well as metal and cabinet painting.

ACP takes pride in our reliability, timeliness, and fair pricing. We promise you’ll get what we say you will.