How to Paint: Taping
Preparing the room for painting is an important step that you need to do before painting a room. Improper preparation can cause you to fail before you even start. How to paint a room properly requires proper preparation as this will save you time, money and effort.
Step One: Prepare the Wall/Surface
Clear the room for all decorations, lights, furnishings, and outlet covers. The more you free space inside the room, the easier you can move around. If you have huge furnishings that can’t be moved out of the room, move them in the center and cover them with plastic to protect them against paint splatters. Make sure that you have covered them completely as paint splatters have the tendency to get into places that you don’t expect.
Also, you have to clean the room thoroughly. Mop or vacuum the floor and wipe down furnishings with a damp cloth to remove dust and cobwebs. To protect the floor from paint splatters, put paper all around the edges of the wall you are about to paint.
Because you are using tape before you paint the room or surface, make sure to clean the surfaces or wall to be painted. This is highly important in painting, especially in the bathroom and kitchen where dirt residues usually build up on surfaces and walls. A simple solution of mild soap and water will work. Scrub the wall surface and rinse quickly with plain water. This will take away the hair and dirt residues on the wall that may allow the paint to bleed under the tape once you started painting. Make sure all surfaces are completely dry before painting.
Step Two: Taping
For proper taping technique, you will need masking tape or the blue tape also known as the painter’s tape and a pair of scissors. In applying the tape, you have to pick the first section to apply on. You can start from the top and work down to the bottom or start from the side to the other side. You need to ensure that you work closely to the surface you will paint. You need to work slowly in order to ensure it is straight and even. Tear or cut the tape using a pair of scissors once you get into the end or bottom of the area you will be painting. Also, you need to ensure that the end of the tape is still aligned with the line of the tape and not crooked.
Once you have completed the first section, tape the remaining sections. Correct taping technique requires you to always ensure that your tape is aligned with the edge of the wall, especially if it overlaps the area you have already taped with. If your tape is not aligning to the edge of the wall, it will give your project a weak spot and allow the paint to bleed under it, ruining your effort.
Step 3: Priming
Finally, after cleaning the surfaces, moving furniture, and applying the surfaces with tape, you can now start priming. Properly taping can save you money in touch-up paint costs, and time.