Getting a contractor to paint your interior walls can be expensive. If you live in a terrace house, it could set you back around RM5000.

Painting your interior walls on your own however, could be a fun and cost-saving weekend project.

It’s pretty easy and you might get the job done a lot faster than you think. Here are some expert handyman tips on what you need to do before you get started.

1. Set your tape

You’ll want to line masking tape on areas you don’t want paint to seep into. Press the tape against the skirting of your wall, or if you’re not painting the skirting, then along the top of the skirting.

Run a knife alongside the tape to make sure it really sticks on the parts you want to cover, especially around windows, doors, or any other part of the house you don’t want the paint to seep into.

2. Lay out rags on the floor

Lay out rags on the floor in case the paint can spills or paint drops from your paint brush or the wall and ceiling. You don’t want house paint all over your floor, that’s for sure.

3. Tape your windows

Apply tape along your window frames to make sure that paint doesn’t seep onto them as well.

Use high-quality masking tape which sticks well but doesn’t pull out paint when you remove it.

For enhanced protection, completely cover the window by taping a plastic sheet, old rag, or paint covers over the window.

4. Clean your old paintbrushes

It’s likely that your paint brushes have hardened with old paint. You’ll just need to pick up a brush cleaner from your local hardware shop. Chuck the paintbrush into the jar filled with the cleaner and make sure you cover the jar and the brush with a plastic bag to protect from nasty fumes.

5. Prepare an extended paint roller

Paintbrushes help with coating fine edges but you’ll probably need a paint roller with extended reach so you can paint up towards the ceiling from where you’re standing.

If you want to get the job done twice as fast, get a paint roller that’s double in width. It requires two hands to handle it, but you’ll cover two-times the area.

6. Patch up dents, holes and cracks

Patch up dents, holes and cracks on your wall with a spackling compound. Your new coat of paint won’t hide holes or dents in the wall, so you’ll need to fill up the holes with spackling compound and filler. Let it dry, then sandpaper the filled surface till smooth before you start painting.

7. Start with the skirting, then ceiling and finally the walls

Start with your paintbrush and paint the skirting first. Don’t worry about getting paint on the wall because you’ll cover it up when you paint the wall later. Once you’re done with the skirting then apply the tape. Next go with the ceiling first, and the walls last.

As you can see, painting your house on your own is not that hard at all.

The significant labour is probably moving the furniture, covering it with plastic and taping windows, skirting and doors. The painting is the easy part.

If all else fails, there are hundreds of reliable contractors on Kaodim who would be more than willing to get your painting done at a price that’s right for you.

This article first appeared in kaodim.com

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