The Importance of Proper Prep Work As Told By a Painting Company

If you’ve ever painted a surface, you know how important the proper prep work is to a job well done. If you don’t properly prepare whatever surface you’re painting, whether indoor or outdoor, the paint won’t take. It may flake off, it might be difficult to apply, it may leave streaks, and overall, the effort will be wasted. Therefore, take the advice of a painting company in Tampa that knows: prep work is a solid 50% of the work needed for a smooth, long-lasting paint job.

Primer

Priming the surface offers a clean slate. Imagine applying paint to a canvas that already has paint on it. That’ll be much harder to do than applying paint to a blank canvas. The same idea applies to walls, ceilings, window frames, and more.

Choose a high-quality primer to hide imperfections in the surface. On new drywall, use a water-based primer. For heavily-stained walls or walls with paneling or smoke/water damage, use an oil-based primer.

Sanding

Before you even apply primer, you need to make sure that the surface is ready to take paint. For surfaces like wood, splintering, warping, and weathering create a rough, uneven texture. This makes for a splotchy, tacky-looking paint job. A painting company knows that you must sand down certain surfaces to even it out, allowing for a smooth application.

Use a paint scraper on any flaking or cracking paint within reach. For small flaws, you can use sandpaper and rub it down by hand. If you have any large areas of imperfections, an electric sander is your best bet.

For dimples or holes, apply spackle or another smoothing compound and wait for it to dry. Then, gently sand it smooth with sandpaper so that it blends seamlessly with the rest of the wall.

Choosing the Right Paint

Once the prep work is taken care of and you’re ready to apply the main coat, you must make sure that you’re using the right paint. Using the wrong paint — for example, using indoor paint outdoors — can be a waste of time, money, and effort. Indoor paint in the hot, Tampa sun will fade, flake, chip, and weather away in a short period of time. Therefore, you need to make sure that you’re using the right formula for the area you want to paint. If you aren’t sure which is best for your project, consult a painting company for advice and suggestions.

Need a Painting Company in Tampa? Trust Bourgoing Painting

If you need the assistance of a professional painting company in the Tampa area, trust Bourgoing Painting. We can make sure that the prep work is done with expertise and that the final product is perfection.

Contact us online today or give us a call at (727) 688-2397 to schedule an estimate in Tampa Bay.