Do You Make These Painting Mistakes?

One of the easiest ways to freshen up your home is to add a fresh coat of paint. We've all been there. It's cold or rainy outside, a Fixer Upper marathon has just concluded and now you're in the mood to slap a coat of paint on the walls for a new look. After a few hours of figuring out what color is trending on Pinterest and a trip to the hardware store, you're all set. But why doesn't your paint job look like the others? Paul Messamore, owner of the property management firm Prime Property Group, Inc., shares his knowledge of the common mistakes homeowners make when painting their own home.

1. Poor Prep Work - Paul admits that prepping for paint is not as sexy as painting itself, but it is a vital component to completing a professional looking project. "The majority of the job itself should be the prep work. Cleaning, patching and laying down floor cover may eat up as much as 75% of your project time, BEFORE you begin to paint."

2. Using Poor Quality Paint - While many of us choose to DIY our painting projects to save money, skimping on quality paint is a major no-no. Paul recommends that you use a paint with primer, which in many cases allows for just one coat of paint needed to be applied. However, if you roll too fast, too slow, or you don't get enough paint on the roller/brush, you may find that you will leave yourself with paint splatter, lines, and inconsistent coverage.

3. Painting the Walls First - It's easy to pour the paint and want to dive right into rolling paint on the walls. Paul states that the majority of the homeowner horror stories he encounters have this in common. "You should always paint your trim before cutting in and rolling the walls. You want your paint coverage to be consistent without streaks, brush lines or gaps. The only way you can protect against that is to paint your walls LAST.

I'm certain that if you're reading this you've made at least one, if not all of the mistakes listed above. I know that I have. But if you're like me, you hate painting just as much as I do. Moving forward, I plan to sidestep this "easy to do" DIY project and hire Paul and his team of professionals to get the job done. You should probably consider it as well.

Paul Messamore is the owner of the property management firm, Prime Property Group, Inc. He can be reach at 217-621-8127. www.primepropertymgmtgroup.com