All Salem rental properties require regular maintenance in order to keep them in good condition. Most of this maintenance includes painting the interior walls. It sounds like a pretty simple task to roll or brush some paint on wherever needed. Yet, a rushed painting job can easily become a nightmare, mostly if you are 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 get your next interior paint job to 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 must also protect any adjacent surfaces, furniture, and light fixtures. To prepare like a painter, start by removing all light switch and outlets plates, window coverings, and anything else on the walls. Then, utilize 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. After you’ve wiped down your surfaces, it is important to take the time to mask off adjacent surfaces using low-stick painter’s tape and masking film. After doing that, you can easily cover windows, light fixtures, and floors. It is better if you also used several larger drop cloths to cover furniture and to protect your floors from drips and spills.
Use Quality Materials and Paint
Just like Salem rental property owners, you’re probably budget-conscious. However, trying 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. You’ll also need to pick 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 coat. You could possibly end up buying more paint and spending more time painting your interior walls to get a good outcome than if you had originally purchased a higher quality paint.
Paint Like a Pro
When you are about to start 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 need to cover your hair and clothes, as well. 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. Finally, if your paint job takes a few days to finish, wrap your brushes and rollers in plastic overnight. Just remember to keep the wrapping airtight. That will stop them from drying out and save you time cleaning them in between painting sessions.
Or Hire a Pro
Indeed, one of the most uncomplicated approaches to achieve 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. A quality painter can be found by asking around, especially at your local paint or hardware store. Some popular sources involve local real estate professionals and the experts at Real Property Management Colonial. Once you’ve got a shortlist of names, it is recommended to get at least three bids for the job. You may be pressed for time, but that doesn’t mean that you have to pay over the market rate for quality work. Ultimately, 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 should not be a problem. This is particularly true if you know all the tips and tricks the professionals use to get beautiful results in no time.
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