So you have decided you are going to paint. You have the perfect paint color all picked out and you are ready with brush in hand to start painting. WHOA not so fast! No matter what you read about painting your home, do it yourself or hiring a professional painter/contractor, you will find all advice on how to start a paint job begins with preparing the surface for paint. Even when you go to paint stores or visit the paint sections in hardware stores any person employed behind the counter will tell you that surface preparation for new paint is the single most important step.

If you are hiring a painter and they do not include details about surface preparation in their painting bid you should probably try another painter. The lowest bid will most likely leave off critical surface preparation details. Odds are your paint will fail and you will not be satisfied with the end result.

Surface preparation for new paint is so critical we have broken the subject down in to several basic components each of which is addressed in a short article focused just on that specific topic. Whether painting interior rooms or the exterior of an entire house the basic steps to prep a surface for new paint are the same. The tools you use will be different but the process is similar.

1.  Before beginning the paint job you must remove all fixtures and obstacles that would get in the way of applying the new paint
2.  Once the surface is free from obstacles you need to clean the surface to be painted.
3.  After cleaning the surface old paint which is peeling or buckling from the surface must be scraped clean or removed.
4.  Once clean the surface must be made smooth. Any holes, cracks or abnormalities need to be filled and/or sanded to match the original surface.
5.  The surface needs to be properly primed to guarantee the best adhesion for the paint.
6.  The surface should be evaluated to see if any areas will need caulk before painting.

Preparing the surface for new paint is such an important part of the painting process that many paint manufacturers have disclaimers right on the paint can which state that if the paint fails due to improper surface preparation they have no liability for the losses associated with the paint failure. If you seriously want a good job and are doing the work yourself read these articles on our website to learn more about each step before you start to paint.

• Removing Fixtures
• Clean the Surface
• Remove Old, Weak Paint
• Create a Finished Surface
• Priming
• Masking