Preparing Your Home for Interior Painters in Miami FL

If you're looking to give your Miami home a fresh new look with a coat of interior paint, proper preparation is key to achieving beautiful results. Taking the time to adequately prepare your home's interior prior to calling in the local painting contractors Miami residents rely on will ensure the paint adheres properly and provides a smooth, durable finish.

Assess and Repair Surfaces

The first step when preparing your home's interior for painting is carefully inspecting all walls, trim, and ceilings that will be painted. Look for any cracks, holes, flawed drywall seams, or other damage that should be repaired prior to painting. Fixing these issues will provide the interiorpainters in Miami FL with an optimal surface to work with. Use spackling paste and tape to patch minor holes and flaws. For more significant drywall damage or cracks, you may need to cut out the damaged section and replace it with new drywall. Be sure to sand smooth any repairs once dry.

Clean Surfaces Thoroughly

Now it's time to give every surface that will be painted a thorough cleaning. This is one of the most important parts of prep work before painting interior house painters Miami recommends. Grease, dirt, dust, soap residue, and more can prevent paint from properly adhering. Use a degreasing cleaner formulated for walls on any kitchen or bathroom surfaces exposed to grease buildup. For living rooms, bedrooms, and other areas, ordinary household cleaners will sufficiently remove dirt and soap film. Don’t forget to wash all the trim and moldings too. Rinse surfaces well after cleaning.

Remove Wall Hangings

Take down any artwork, photos, mirrors, curtains and curtain rods, shelves and shelving brackets. Removing these items prevents paint splatters and allows you to paint right up to the edges rather than leaving an unpainted space. Set aside any small nails, hangers, or hardware to reinstall these items later. Patch holes as needed so your interior painting has a flawless background. Consider marking on the wall lightly in pencil where specific nails or hangers were located so it's easy to put things back precisely where you want them post-painting.

Protect Floors, Furniture, and Fixtures

Covering floors, furnishings, light fixtures, and other items is vital to safeguard your belongings from paint splatters or spills. Tape down drop cloths over all flooring, including carpet and rugs. If possible, move freestanding furniture into the center of each room, away from walls. Otherwise, cover furnishings with drop cloths, using painter’s tape to secure the edges. Remove outlet and switch plate covers, but leave any wiring, pipes, vents, etc uncovered. Cover these protrusions carefully with painter’s tape instead. Use drop cloths secured with painters tape to protect light fixtures, ceiling fans, etc as well. Mask off baseboards with painter's tape for the sharpest possible paint lines.

Caulk Gaps and Seams

Caulking gives painted walls a seamless look by filling any cracks or gaps before painting interior house painters Miami pros recommend this often-skipped prep step. Carefully apply caulk along trim, corners, windows, doors, and any gaps between walls and ceiling. Allow the caulk to dry completely before painting. Using quality caulk and taking your time with this step helps create the beautiful, polished interior painting Miami residents strive for. 

Consider Priming Surfaces

In many cases, applying quality primer allows for better paint adhesion and more vibrant, uniform color. Priming is particularly useful if you’re making a dramatic color change or painting over a glossy painted surface. Often your local house painters Miami        relies on will recommend priming with a high-quality latex primer that matches the sheen of your new paint. This important step helps the finished coat of paint go on more smoothly.