Real Property Management West San Fernando Valley

Tips and Tricks for Interior Painting

Each Granada Hills rental property requires regular maintenance to remain in good condition. Some of this maintenance includes painting the interior walls. It looks like a pretty simple task to roll or brush some paint on wherever needed. However, an instant painting job can soon become a nightmare if you’re not properly prepared. If you are getting your rental home ready for a new tenant or giving your property’s walls a much-needed facelift, there are certain tricks the professionals use to ensure a better outcome. By using these pro tips and tricks, you can make your next interior paint job both look better and become easier to accomplish.

Prep the Right Way

As anyone with experience painting interior walls will tell you, preparing your surfaces before you start to paint is half the battle. You will not only need to prep the walls to be painted, but you also have to protect any adjacent surfaces, furniture, and light fixtures. To prep like a professional, you can start by removing all light switch and outlets plates, window coverings, and anything else on the walls. Afterward, find a tack cloth to clean your walls and trim. Tack cloth is a specific kind of cheesecloth designed to remove dust and debris from painted surfaces without water. When you have wiped down your surfaces, it’s vital to take the opportunity to mask off adjacent surfaces with the use of low-stick painter’s tape and masking film. Once you’re done, you can quickly cover windows, light fixtures, and floors. It would be suitable if you also utilized several larger drop cloths to cover furniture and to protect your floors from drips and spills.

Use Quality Materials and Paint

Together with many Granada Hills rental property owners, you are probably budget-conscious. But, looking to cut costs by purchasing cheap materials and paint is not a good idea. To get a professional result, invest in good-quality brushes, rollers, and paint pans. Also, you need to get quality paint. Cheap paint may seem like a deal, but chances are you’ll end up needing multiple coats to get the same coverage that a better-quality paint can achieve in one. You would surely end up buying more paint and spending more time painting your interior walls to get the complete outcome than if you had originally purchased a higher quality paint.

Paint Like a Pro

When you’re prepared to begin painting, make sure that you have everything you’ll need on hand. Many pro painters will wear latex or nitrile gloves to keep their hands clean. You might want to cover your hair and clothes, too. Paint rollers tend to splatter slightly, especially while painting ceilings. Begin with the edges of the room and work your way toward the center. It will help avoid roller marks. Lastly, if your paint job takes longer, like more than a day, wrap your brushes and rollers in plastic overnight. Just keep in mind that your wrapping should be airtight. That will keep them from drying out and save you time cleaning them in between painting sessions.

Or Hire a Pro

Definitely, one of the fastest ways to reach a professional result is to hire professionals to paint your rental property’s interiors. It can be a challenge to know who you can trust to do a good job, and simply picking a name off a list is not a good idea. You can find a quality painter by asking around, especially at your local paint or hardware store. Some great sources include local real estate professionals and the experts at Real Property Management West San Fernando Valley. Once you’ve got a shortlist of names, it is important to get at least three bids for the job. You may be pressed for time, but that doesn’t mean you pay over the market rate for quality work. And lastly, never pay the painter upfront. That is a huge red flag and may mean they are trying to scam you. If the painter you hired asks for payment in full before starting the job, find another painter.

Painting your rental property’s interiors shouldn’t be a major issue. That is mostly accurate if you know all the tips and tricks the professionals use to get beautiful results in no time.