As a homeowner, you make many decisions on the appearance of your home from the colour of your decor to the artwork you hang on your walls. Painting your home is one of the most common home improvements that people make during homeownership. There are however, mistakes that many people make when painting their own home that you should try to avoid at all costs.

Not Prepping the Walls

The first mistake that homeowners make when painting their home is not prepping their walls properly before they begin painting. Painting is unfortunately not as simple as purchasing a couple gallons at your local hardware store and slapping it on the walls. The first thing you should do is clean your walls thoroughly with a sponge and warm water. In kitchens or areas exposed to oil and grease, you should use a degreaser on your walls before painting. Next you need to ensure you remove any mold or mildew on your walls as it can become trapped and cause further problems if you simply paint over top of it. After your walls are fully cleaned, make sure to sand them down for a nice smooth surface before applying your primer.

Choosing the Wrong Paint

Paints are not created equally. Before you begin an interior painting or exterior painting project, you need to ensure you’ve chosen the proper paints for your home. Certain paints are not meant for indoor use and contain chemicals that can cause physical harm. Similarily, using indoor paint on your home’s exterior won’t hold up to the elements and will need to be redone within a few months. When selecting your paint, it’s often best to opt for the more expensive paints rather than the cheaper alternatives. The more expensive paints are generally a higher price for a reason because they are a much higher quality, easier to apply and you’ll need far less to complete the project. Some cheaper paints won’t provide the coverage of higher quality paints and will require several coats in order to get a clean, smooth finish.

Be Considerate of Colour

There are many decisions to be made with regards to the colour you select for your home and this is often where people make mistakes and end up with a final result they’re unsatisfied with. One of the first things you should do is test different colours in the room you’re painting before you commit to one. You’ll want to ensure that the colours you chose work in your space at various times throughout the day with different types of lighting at different angles to ensure you enjoy them at all times.

It’s also important to take care not to overuse colour. Bold colours can be overwhelming and can make it difficult to sell your home down the road. Certain colours have a major impact on the energy and environment of a space and the wrong colour choices can affect how you feel in a room.

Painting your home is a great way to express yourself and add value to your home as long as you take the time to do it properly and avoid costly mistakes from the beginning. Understanding these common mistakes can help you work around them and get a long lasting end result.