What is the best thing to wash walls with before painting?

Published On : November 15, 2020

What is the best thing to wash walls with before painting?

A good idea is to remove furniture from the room altogether, if possible. Remember to wear safety goggles and older clothes in case the paint splatters. Before painting, protect wall sconces and wall trim with painters’ tape. Scrape any cracked or flaking paint with a paint scraper. For other small imperfections on the wall such as plaster bumps, smooth them away with sandpaper. Use muscle power with a piece of sandpaper stapled to a sanding block, or use an electric sander. Dust and clean the walls. For most surfaces, use a towel or a vacuum cleaner.

How to wash walls?

Materials to have on hand when getting ready to paint: primer, paint-can opener, stir sticks, roller covers, paintbrushes, paint tray, gloves, drop cloth and an extension pole for the roller. When painting a bathroom or kitchen, wash the walls with a solution of approximately three teaspoons of laundry detergent to one gallon of water.

What to paint walls?

The best way to choose a color is to try it out first. You can never make a good decision based on looking at the color swatch in the store. Take it home and tape it to the wall to see how it works within the space and with your room's lighting. Start in the corners of the wall and up near the ceiling, "cutting in" the paint with an angle brush. 

The swatches don't always reveal the actual color when it dries. You can test a few colors of paint on a spare piece of wood and place it against the wall. When you have the right color, go for it instantly! With a small brush, apply the paint around trim and in the corners of walls where your larger brush can't reach. A high-quality primer will help to hide any small imperfections on walls. Use a good water-based primer on new drywall. 

Should I Paint Over Wallpaper?

Benjamin Moore does not recommend painting over wallpaper, especially if you have wallpaper with a high sheen or a heavy texture. Even the best, most premium paint will not hide wallpaper seams. We strongly recommend you hire a painting contractor to remove wallpaper, prepare walls for painting after wallpaper removal and to complete your painting project.

Steps in washing and painting walls

Step 1: Cleaning Walls 

The most important part of the process is to make sure you let everything dry thoroughly. Clean walls are key in preparing a room for painting. While there is no best way to clean walls before painting, most walls can be washed using a sponge and warm water. For surfaces that have exposure to oil or grime, like kitchen walls, wash with a solution of water and grease-cutting detergent and follow up with clean water to remove any residual cleaning agent. Finish by wiping the walls with a damp cloth.

Step 2: Removing Mildew

No matter which room you’re preparing to paint, make sure you address any mildew first. . You can clean mildew with a sponge and a solution that is three-to-four parts water to one-part bleach. Never paint over mildew or it will grow through new paint, which will make cleaning and maintenance even more difficult. Apply the solution, scrub the affected surface with a soft brush, and rinse the area with clean water. Make sure you wear gloves and goggles and allow time to dry. 

Step 3: Sand Surfaces 

Cracking or flaking paint on previously painted surfaces can also be an issue. Paint cracking on walls and ceilings happens due to a variety of causes, one of the most common being poor preparation of a surface prior to painting.

Painting over cracked paint is a bad idea; it is important to remove any flakes from the surface via sanding or scraping before repainting. Smoothing walls before painting is necessary for surfaces previously painted with a gloss or high-gloss paint. Use sandpaper or a sanding block to dull any uneven surfaces, wipe away dust with a damp cloth and let dry thoroughly.

Step 4: Priming Walls 

There is a primer for every project and substrate. If paint and paint color make a home, then primer is that home’s foundation. Use a primer to get the most out of your paint, especially if your walls are porous or have surface stains that need covering up. Our company offer products that provide excellent hide on nearly any surface, even for projects with a significant color change.