Top tips for interior painting

SPONSORED – Winter means indoor hibernation, and Pete says you’ll probably be spending a lot of time staring at your walls. If you’ve noticed that, in all your wall-staring time, it might be time to put a new color in your home, Pete recommends checking out Bellevue Paint and Decorating.

Rick Wahl from Bellevue Paint says, as we’re moving into 2014, paint trends are starting to shift away from the dark colors that were popular several years ago and moving toward pastels. “One of the colors for 2014 is called ‘Breath of Fresh Air,’ and it’s a really light blue,” he says. Pastels and greys also make it easier to paint over when you change your mind or trends change, Pete adds.

New paints are also more environmentally friendly and are less malodorous. “New paints use different resins that don’t have any solvents such as alcohol that make them dry,” Rick says. “They’re more water-based than anything.”

If you’re looking to save time or money, it might be tempting to use a self-priming paint. But, Rick says, a self-priming paint will not give you the results that you want. Primers exist for a reason, he says. They’re designed to make the paint stick to the substrate. Using a self-priming paint may make patches or spots in your wall show through.

When selecting a brush, Rick says you have two choices: real bristle brushes, made of pig or horse hair, designed for oil-based paints, or polyester brushes designed for latex paints. As the paint industry is moving away from oil-based paints, you will see less of a selection of bristle brushes.

Brush size matters for your paint job. Don’t be afraid to select a large brush, Rick says, because it will make the job go faster. You don’t need a brush smaller than two inches, even for painting around the trim. Simply angle your hand to get into the small spaces.

Rollers should be used in larger areas where using a brush would be inconvenient. Rick recommends using a 1/2 inch thickness, or nap. Too long of a nap will leave a texture, and a shorter nap will not hold enough paint.

When it’s time to prep for painting, Rick recommends first examining the walls for nail or tack holes and fill them in with spackle. Then, look around the room and determine what needs to be moved. Mask the baseboards, if you don’t feel like freehand painting them, then put paper tape down to the drop cloth to protect the floor and the baseboards.

Home Matters with Pete and Rob can be heard on KIRO Radio every Saturday at 8 a.m. and Sunday at 6 a.m. or anytime at KIRORadio.com. Like Home Matters on Facebook.