Many articles and shows focus on interior painting and decorating as quick ways to make a dramatic improvement in the home. While some of this can be great fun some people dread or even skip the detail work and clean up and those aspects are more rarely discussed. It is not a glamorous topic but when done properly it makes all the difference. If it is worth painting it is worth doing neatly. A bad or sloppy paint job really degrades the space. Anyone who can wield a brush can also clean up.
Most interior paints used today are latex. One of the great benefits of this is that wet latex is water soluble and will wash off hands, equipment and surfaces that it has dripped or spilt onto. Oil or alkyd paints require solvents to clean up. Even with drop cloths some paint may spatter, drip, spill or soak through. Keep a sturdy bucket with warm water, a scrubber sponge and some dry rags handy to dry or wet wipe up mistakes as soon as you see them. If you are painting around natural woodwork, wallpaper, window glass, hardware, fixtures or finished flooring keep a close attention on the edges and wipe off any over painting promptly for a truly crisp job – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure here as dried paint is very difficult to get off, if it can be taken off at all without damage. Caution: do not use a wet brush or wet cloth near electrical fixtures.
I carefully unscrew any switch or outlet covers before painting and put the screws back in their holes or a safe place. Clean or replace the covers as desired when the paint is dry (I recommend inexpensive foam insulators be placed behind covers on the room’s exterior walls to save energy). Don’t paint phone jacks, television cables, smoke detectors, security sensors, outlets or switches, even if these have already been painted. Some hanging ceiling lights have a metal cap which can be loosened by unscrewing a central ring at top of the chain, allowing for neat painting without removing the fixture. You can put a plastic bag over chandeliers or ceiling fans to protect them rather than taking them down. Just don’t turn those lights on while they are covered. Some door hardware can be readily removed but be very careful to not mix it up or lose the screws. If it is steel or iron and was painted originally it can be repainted with metal or spray paint before re-installation for a crisp appearance. Oil any hinges or latches before re-installing. Tape neatly around items you can’t safely remove before painting and remove the tape cautiously soon after the paint is dry.
Do not paint radiators unless absolutely necessary. Choose paint made for metal and follow directions closely; consider this a separate project and don’t do it during heating season to avoid the fumes of heated paint. Never paint valves, moving parts of the stems or air vents on the ends of steam radiators or you will interfere with their functioning. Steel baseboard radiators usually have removable front panels and control vanes, it is worth taking these off to clean or paint separately as needed. Carefully note the individual location and installation method for the covers before moving them, labeling them on the back is a good idea. Vacuum the fins behind them while accessible to increase heating efficiency. Make sure to reinstall them properly; this is sometimes a challenge. Most heating and cooling grilles can be unscrewed, cleaned and reinstalled after painting. Paint build up can impede the function of heating registers so if necessary only use the very lightest coating of paint – here is one more place spray paint is helpful. If you use it follow directions carefully, do it out of doors when there is no wind and on a big piece of cardboard. If the grilles are jammed up with paint already but are of high quality you might try stripping them (removing paint from metal will be the subject of another article).
Remove drop cloths as soon as possible after completion, check for any spatters or spills and wipe them up. Latex paint which is dry but not cured often comes off with a scrubber sponge. If needed try a plastic scraper, gently so that it will not damage the underlying surfaces. A single edged razor blade in a holder (not a box cutter!) can be used to remove excess paint from the edges of glass. Be careful not to damage the paint on the window frames. Leave 1/16” of paint on the glass all around; this “painter’s edge” helps seal glass to the frame and keeps drafts out.
Brush Up & Clean Up … getting interior painting details right
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