Painting and staining are perhaps the cheapest and quickest home renovations, adding instant décor without breaking the bank.

Sanding is an unavoidably messy task. To skip this step, try using a heavy duty primer sealer or deglossing liquid before applying your finish paint. Oil based products will stick to anything and provide a great starting surface for painting.

Painting is all about preparation. When purchasing your paint also pick up spackling, Painter’s tape, paintbrushes, rollers, cleaning cloths, sandpaper, and a plastic tarp. Here are some helpful tips to get you through this often meticulous process with a little more sanity…

• Use a reasonable amount of paint on your roller. Too little paint will leave an uneven appearance and too much paint will leave paint lines and dripping!
• When using rollers, roll in multiple directions. Up and down action only will streak and leave lumps.
• Touch-ups should be feathered on. In most cases, it is easiest to repaint the entire wall with a matching shade, careful not to get new paint on the adjacent walls.
• Interior painting- try to empty the room of furniture, lighting and outlet covers. Anything that remains in the room should be placed in the center and covered with a plastic tarp to avoid splatters. Clean room thoroughly by wiping walls, dusting and vacuuming the floors. Fill in holes, dents and cracks with spackle. Prime walls if painting over a glossy or dark paint color with a lighter one. Using Painter’s tape, tape off all walls, ceiling, outlets, window frames and baseboards not to be painted.
• Exterior painting- specifically on wood, begin by power washing the building. Use bleach and water to remove mold. Set and fill all nails, sand all loose paint. When selecting your paint color, remember that dark colors will absorb the heat and light colors with reflect the sun. Exterior latex paints will not last; use 100% acrylic paints for the best durability and color retention. To weatherproof exterior painting make sure you start with the right paint. Flat paint is best for resisting moisture and durable semiglosses work best for trim and doors.

For refinishing projects, remove the old finish by sanding (with the grain) or using chemical strippers. Staining for wood comes in transparent, semitransparent and solid-hide formulation. Using transparent formulations also provide weather protection. Stains are oil-based, water-based and gel. Apply stains with a rag or brush, allow the length of time left on the wood to determine the darkness of the desired staining job. Wipe off with a rag and repeat process until the color is as dark as desired. Apply a heavy coat of sealer, allow it to soak into the wood and then wipe off excess.

Staining and Painting projects are tedious and even minor problems can cause a lot of frustrations with the end result. Handyman Matters has professionals for all painting (exterior and interior), staining and refinishing jobs. Handyman Matters excels at perfecting the details to achieve your desired result.