Interior Painting Ideas

The simple answer to the question "When to use primer paint" is that you should be using it on every interior painting job that you start. Well you should be using it on every painting job that you want to have a superb finish.

The reason most people don't use primer is because it seems like extra work. What they're forgetting is that cutting corners at the start of a painting project will just cause chaos later on.

Primer gives your painting a foundation to work from. If your walls or ceiling are discolored or don't have a clean and smooth finish then primer is needed. It helps mask minor problems with your walls and stops discolored patches of paint from appearing later on.

Primer also dries very quickly so it's not going to hold up your DIY painting job and it helps give you the finish you really want.

When to use primer - every single time folks!

The idea of painting with sponges is something that will remind most people of being in kindergarden painting funny shapes with their first teacher. Most people only ever think of painting their walls either with a brush or roller.

You don't need anything too fancy to start sponge painting with. Natural sponges are your best choice for interior decorating jobs. The artificial sponges are ok but you just don't get the same finish as with the real thing.

You'll want to avoid oil based paints when sponge painting - they won't work (generally speaking) when you're trying to achieve this type of finish. Water based/latex paints are ideal for sponge painting because they're easier to work with and you can rinse off painting tools easily after using them.

The color you want to see most of is the color you'll apply last when sponge painting. You can also use more than just two colors but you might wan to strat off your painting attempts with just two colors until you get a bit better at it. Usually people will start with a lighter/more neutral base coat and then apply a watered down/glaze coat of the final color on top of that. The base coat needs to be completely and totally dry before you attempt this.

Your base coat should be applied evenly with a roller if at all possible - don't sponge paint the base coat and then top coat - the result will be a mess.

Oh and keep a bucket of water handy - the sponges will need to be rinsed out at times during the painting process.

Should you use paint brushes or a roller or even painting pads for your next painting job? Some of this is going to be down to personal preference and some of it will be down to the task at hand. The right tools for the right job is exactly what this choice is going to be all about.

Paint Brushes
For smaller spaces and hard-to-get-at places a paintbrush is going to be the tool of choice. Cutting in corners or working around small surfaces is where your paintbrush is going to be the painting tool of choice. Of course you can paint an entire room just using a variety of paint brush sizes - that's entirely down to you. Brushes offer great results with a minimum amount of mess.

Painting Rollers
If you're going to be working on a really big surface area then you can save yourself some arm ache by using a roller. They're ideal for covering a lot of surface area quickly. My main problem with rollers is the mess you can make - you have to be careful about how much paint you get on them - otherwise you wind up spraying it everywhere. Rollers would only be used on the bigger rooms in any house. There are new types of rollers that control the amount of paint applied very carefully but they are that little bit more expensive.

Painting Pads
I gotta admit I love these. Some people give out about them but painting pads are my best friends when I'm painting small rooms and I'm in a hurry. You still need a small brush for cutting in corners or edges of walls/surfaces but painting pads have proven to be a clean and reliable way to paint walls anywhere in a home. Why do I like them so much? Well it's because they're made from sponge so you can paint an interior wall and literally not lose a drop of paint while you're working. They also give a really even finish and you don't run the risk of losing brush bristles halfway through a job.

Are they the perfect solution? There's always more than one way to complete any painting job but if you've never tried paint pads before I recommend giving them a shot as soon as you can.