Interior painting

Little is known about the trade of Interior Painting before the late 13th Century, when guilds began to appear. Among the early guilds were the Painters Company and the Stainers Company, which merged some two hundred years later into the Painter-Stainers Company. The purpose of the guild was to standardize the craft and to protect the secrets of the trade. An Act of Parliament in the early 1600s granted the trade protection from outsiders such as plasterers, preventing them from applying paint to their plaster. Interior painting has come a long way since the 13th Century both in the methods of painting and the equipment used, and although brushes have been used in interiors throughout the ages, today’s brushes bear little resemblance to those of 700 years ago.

One of the most important elements of interior painting is in the preparation of rooms and equipment, and if you don’t pay attention following the steps correctly, accidents can happen. If you prepare an interior room properly for painting then it will be easier to clean up after the job is finished and the finished task will have a more professional look about it. Take the following steps to achieve the best results in interior painting.

Firstly, empty the room as much as possible. Remove as much furniture as you can, and cover that which you cannot remove. Make sure that there is nothing that can get in the way of ladders or of the painting process. Clear the walls completely – remove paintings and posters, nails, screws, sticky-stuff, tape and tacks. Patch all of the holes and cracks with Polyfiller. Make sure that all of the floor is covered as well as any furniture that you have not been able to remove. Ensure that all of the walls are thoroughly clean before starting the painting process. Paint will not stick to dirty walls or greasy walls. You can use a mild household cleaner for normal cleaning but you will need some trisodium phosphate for heavy grease contamination. You may need to use a sponge mop to make the going easier. After you have cleaned, rinse the residue off with clean water and allow to dry.

The next step is to remove all of the electrical switch covers and sockets and to cover any light fittings – wrap them in paper and tape them up with masking tape. Protect all of the windowsills with tape and masking tape. Remember that most of the work involved in interior painting is in the preparation of the room to be painted. When you do start painting remember to start from the top and work downwards.

When you have decided to call it a day and to plan to continue painting the interior the next day, don’t want to wash your brushes or rollers – rather place them in a plastic bag and seal them tightly – this ensures that the paint does not dry out overnight. It’s a good idea to put them in the freezer overnight too.