The older your house, the greater the chance there's an area that needs scraping. A previous paint job may have begun to peel or crack in some places. Windowsills and sash frames may have chipped, or the old paint may have "alligatored" into a maze of cracks.
If you find these conditions, scrape them gently to remove the loose particles, then sand them smooth to blend with the area around them. If you get down to bare wood on woodwork, prime the spots before you apply the final coat of paint. If it's impossible to blend the scraped areas with the nonscraped areas on walls, go over them with a light coat of drywall joint compound. When walls are dry, sand them smooth, prime, and paint.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Not what you're looking for? Try these helpful articles:
- House Painting: Ready to tackle a house painting project? Gather helpful tips on both interior and exterior painting in this home improvement article.
- House Painting Tools: Before taking on any painting project, make sure you have the tools you'll need to do the job well. This article will help.
- Painting Interiors: Learn the essentials of painting walls, doors, and everything inside the house on this page.
- Scrubbing and Sanding Surfaces: Find out about these necessary painting preparation steps only at HowStuffWorks.
