Although painting your home's interior can make it look cleaner while providing a whole new look, there are often small problems with the wall surfaces that need to be fixed. Fortunately, your painters can help with many of the smaller, most common issues.
1. Patch Work
Small damages like holes and dents should be filled and smoothed prior to painting. The problem with this is that the patched spots may appear smoother than the surrounding paint if the walls were previously textured. Your painters can use textured paint, which contains small inclusions like sand or larger granules to mimic the texturing used on drywall. The textured paint will help the patched areas blend in better.
2. Water Damage
Water damage can result in a wavy wall surface and an ugly yellow-brown stain that persists long after repair and drying out of the wallboard. All too often these stains are on textured ceilings, so special care must be used to cover them effectively. Stain-blocking primers and paint can help cover the stain prior to painting. On textured ceilings, opt for a semi-gloss finish and light color. The light reflection from these choices will further minimize the appearance of the water damage.
3. Old Stains
Old stains don't pose an active issue, but they can bleed through fresh paint over time. Common culprits are old mildew stains, grease and oil, and rust stains. A thorough cleaning of the walls is first required so that any remaining residue is removed. Then, your painting service will apply one or more coats of a stain-blocking primer to prevent bleed-through. Depending on the source and severity of the stain, a stain-blocking paint may also be used.
4. Wall Blisters
Blisters and bubbles on an old coat of paint are most often caused by moisture issues. If there is still dampness, then the source must be found and repaired before painting. For old blisters with no current moisture problems, repair is easier. Your painters will need to thoroughly scrape the area so the blisters don't affect the new paint coat. They will apply a priming seal to ensure no more moisture seeps through before applying fresh paint.
5. Hairline Cracks
Not all cracks on a wall are a major concern. Sometimes plaster finishes develop small, hairline cracks as a natural part of the drying and aging process. If these cracks are so small that you can't slip a piece of paper into them, they can be fixed with paint so you won't need to re-plaster the area. Your painting service will use a flexible paint product. These paints will cover and hide the fine crack lines, and their flexible components ensure the cracks don't transfer through the paint over time.
Contact an interior painting service to learn more about your options.
