Cleaning & Preparing

1. Clear the room of all removable furniture
2. Turn off the power and loosen switch plates and fittings so that you can clean, sand and paint underneath the outline of the fitting
3. Bring down ceiling fans and remove trim pieces of ceiling fixtures
4. Remove door hardware
5. Remove dirt and marks using sugar soap
6. Lightly scrub off mould and mildew with a solution made of 3 parts bleach to 1 part water
7. Scrape off any loose or peeling paint
8. Sand painted surfaces to remove gloss
9. Pull out nails and picture hooks and fill holes and cracks with joint compound
10. Cover floor coverings and immovable fixtures and furniture with drop cloths
11. Make sure all of the surfaces you’ll be painting are clean and dry. That means they must be free of mildew, sanding dust, grease and loose paint
12. Cover and mask all edges with masking tape where possible, especially where fittings can’t be removed
13. Spot prime patched/bare areas
    

New Walls & Ceilings

• The stopping of plaster board must be extremely smooth and even. Make sure that the stopping is specified as a 'paint finish'
• Check the plaster for nail depressions and cracks. Fill these with interior filler. Make sure you overfill the flaws so that you can sand it back to a smooth finish
• Then we recommend a final all-over sanding with 100-200 grit sandpaper
• Never sand the paper area of Gib board. Doing so raises the grain of paper. Sand the plaster only.

Previously Painted Walls & Ceilings

• Generally, surfaces must be well prepared by sanding smooth and filling imperfections. If the surface is properly prepared, a light sanding is all that’s needed.

Previously Wallpapered Walls

• See Wallpapering

Painting

Type Of Paint First Coat

• Use a water-based sealer on paperfaced plasterboard, wallpaper and lining paper in good condition
• Use a solvent-based sealer on gypsum plaster, fibrous plaster, old wallpaper, yellowed paper and especially in wet areas like laundries, bathrooms and kitchens.

Top Coats

• For wet areas (laundries, bathrooms and kitchens) apply 2 coats of a semi-gloss water-based enamel paint.
• Try an acrylic washable paint for other walls throughout your home, and a good general ceiling paint for ceilings.
  

Best applicators for the job

• Your first step when painting walls and ceilings is to “cut in” around edges, light fixtures and other fixtures and fittings. Use a Masterflow® 25-63mm brush.
• When you’re happy with your cut in work, you can start rolling. Consult the PAL® Roller System to help you decide which roller will best suit your job.
• Be sure to choose a matching handle for your roller. And an extension pole is handy for reaching your ceiling easily.

Hints

• Take care to protect the surface coat when sanding. All you need is a light scuff between coats.
• Be sure to avoid painting onto walls if you’re not planning on painting them fully. A small handheld shield can help you avoid overlapping onto walls.
  
  When painting walls:
  
• Always roll the first stroke upwards on vertical surfaces. This helps prevent paint drips.
• Aim to coat an area of 1 metre wide by 2.5 metres. This height is a floor to ceiling measurement on a typical house wall. To cover this area will take approximately three roller loads. Divide the area into three segments and use one roller load per segment. This allows you to achieve an even flow and spread.
• Try to complete a whole wall before taking a break. Giving part of a wall time to dry could mean you end up with “lap marks” in your finish.
  
  When painting ceilings:
• Always paint across the shortest distance when painting a ceiling. That means, if a ceiling is 5 metres by 3 metres, paint across the 3 metre distance. You’ll find you get a better finish
• Work in a “W” pattern, spanning 4’ sections at a time. Then go back over each section to distribute paint evenly.