There are many things to consider when it comes to buying paint. You might think it’s simply a question of what colour, but you’d be wrong. Don’t fall at the first hurdle however and decide to hire a painter after realising just what you’ve let yourself in for.
BY ANA STANKOVIC
Do-it-yourself can be therapeutic – especially painting – and you’ll save yourself the cost of a tradesman, so have some faith in your abilities and spend the weekend doing some painting.
But don’t forget that old mantra 60 per cent of effort should go towards doing really good preparation and only 40 per cent towards the actual painting, if you want to get that professional finish.
Determining what paint you need depends on a whole host of things including:
- What are you painting? Painting outside will require a different type of paint than if you were painting your bedroom, or if you are painting trips, gutters, etc.
- How big is the area you’re painting? Obviously you’ll need a rough idea of how much paint to buy.
- Why are you painting? If it’s to make a room look a little nicer before you sell your house you might settle for some cheaper paint. If you plan on stay ing put
in your house for a while, you might want to invest in higher quality paint.
So, those are the questions – and they’re pretty simple to answer.
When you know what you’re painting, you’ll know what paint to get. You can choose between water or oil based paint types and you can have all sorts of finishes such as flat, gloss, satin, velvet, etc. And if you’re not sure, just ask the experts at your local supply store – they’ll be able to help.
Obviously you’ll need to know how much paint to get – now I’m no math expert but usually when painting a room you can just about gauge how much you’ll need.
There are all sorts of confusing equations you can find online to work out how much paint you’ll need, but I tend to find taking the dimensions of the area I want to paint to the local hardware store works, because I just pick the brains of any sales assistant I can find!
Minimise wastage by buying only what you’ll use – and make sure you keep the receipt for any paint you buy just in case it goes unopened, so you can return it for a refund!
Ask yourself why you’re painting – if it’s to rent the property then you may not get the most expensive paint, because your tenants won’t care! However if the renovation you’re doing is in a high-end suburb and you’d like to sell the house, you’ll want to achieve a really fine finish. Using better quality paint and better quality brushes and rollers will make a difference in how good the end result looks.
When you’ve chosen your paint it’s time to choose a brush – or roller as the case may be. Make sure you’re sensible about it though; don’t go using a roller to paint the skirting board!
It’s important you ask yourself some of these basic, but key, questions before you start painting so you get a result you’re happy with.
Ana Stankovic is well known as one of Australia’s leading renovating-for-profit specialists and is regularly featured in prominent industry publications, expos and continually educates investors. To find out more or sign up for Ana’s free newsletter, visit www.RenovateAndProfit.com.
