DIY Center

Painting the interior of a house can increase its value and curb appeal as well as simply make the space more attractive.  Whether you are painting a house to get a higher price on the market, updating an old paint job, or to just beautify your own space, the ceilings can be the trickiest part to paint.

When choosing a color most people go for shades of white. Keep in mind that white actually has many shades and that a ceiling does not have to be white. However, if you do plan to sell your home, choosing a neutral color will avoid the need to repaint later. For shorter ceilings, a lighter shade will make the walls appear taller and less enclosed. For higher ceilings, a darker color will make the walls appear shorter and cozier. Don’t forget to take your wall color and fixture colors into account.

Once you have prepared the room, the ceiling and chosen the paint, it’s time to start painting. Begin by using your ladder or step stool to cut in the ceiling. This means to use your paintbrush to paint around the edges approximately two to three inches in thickness, in the corners, and around any fixtures. Next, while the paint is still wet use your roller to paint the rest of the ceiling. To do so, dip your roller and squeeze away excess paint. Too much paint will result in a messy job. Next, paint a zig-zag pattern and then take straight strokes to spread the paint evenly. Repeat until the entire ceiling is covered. Once dry, check your work and apply a second coat if necessary.

Rayco Painting is an Albany house painting contractor

Rayco painting is an Albany Ca painting contractor

Rayco Painting is a licensed Albany CA Painting contractor

If you’ve spilled paint on your carpet, the best time to remove it is while it’s still wet. However, there are some reliable ways to remove dried paint and avoid the hefty cost of carpet replacement. Products like WD-40, Goo Gone, acetone-containing nail polish remover and ordinary paint thinner can remove dried paint. Before you start with any of these products, however, it’s best to try a small amount of the chemical on an inconspicuous part of your carpet. If it doesn’t remove the coloring or otherwise damage your carpet, you know it’s okay to use for removing the paint stain.

To remove dried paint with WD-40, you’ll need to gather a can of WD-40, clean, white rags (or those that are not dyed), a hard-bristle brush, and a razor blade or knife. Before you apply the WD-40, you should use the razor blade and/or brush to scrape as much of the dried paint off your carpet as possible. Next, apply the WD-40 to your carpet stain to soften it. Work it in with a clean rag. Once you’ve worked a generous amount into your carpet, let it sit undisturbed for about 20 minutes.

After about 20 minutes have passed, it’s time to go back to work with a fresh rag and some elbow grease. Scrub the stained area with the WD-40 still on it, and the paint should begin to soften and lift off. Next, you’ll need to scrape at the leftover paint using your razor blade again. Once the paint stain has been removed, you can use a solution of dishwashing liquid and water to clean the area. Follow up with a rinse with clear water.

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Rayco Painting is a San Mateo house painting contractor

Rayco painting is a San Mateo Ca painting contractor

Rayco Painting is a licensed San Mateo CA Painting contractor

When it comes to first impressions about a home, the appearance of the front door is really important.  If you want to give your front door that new look but don’t want to pay for a new door you should consider repainting it.  Here are a few tips that can help prepare you to paint your front door.

1) Use the screwdriver to unscrew the door handle, along with any locks and plates you may have. One thing is for sure, nothing looks worse than door locks and plates that have the marksmanship of an unsteady painter. Take every fitting off the door.

2) Use the paint scraper to thoroughly remove any flaking paint and rough surfaces.

3) If the door has any holes, fill them with the filler.

4) Once the filler has dried, clean the door thoroughly with sugar soap. The solution is alkaline, a dry powder, used for cleaning paintwork in preparation for repainting. An alternative to prepare paintwork for painting is to clean the painted surface with “household ammonia” or ammonium hydroxide.

5) Sand down the surface with sandpaper. Sandpaper creates an adhesive surface for the paint. If you fail to sand down the surface properly the paint is likely to flake off after a few months. If your door already has gloss paint, use medium grade sandpaper to flatten off the sheen.

6) Now is the time to start painting. The golden rule here is to always paint in the same direction as the grain.

7) Painting the door isn’t a competition. Paint slowly and refrain from using too much paint or it will flood in the grooves. The best way to avoid the pooling of the grooves is to use a light first coat and reapply a second moderate coat.

8.) After the first coat is dry, you’ll need fine sandpaper to down the surfaces again. Paint the second coat in the same way- follow the direction of the grain. A solvent-based gloss, satin or eggshell will be touch-dry in 8 hours, but wait about 16-24 hours before painting a second coat, just to be safe.

Rayco Painting is an Oakland house painting contractor

Rayco painting is an Oakland Ca painting contractor

Rayco Painting is a licensed Oakland CA Painting contractor

Spruce up your house and learn how to paint a bathroom to give it a new, fresh look. Painting is one of the least expensive ways to make a home look like new. Paint can hide flaws, make a room look clean, and brighten an otherwise dreary room. Bathrooms can show wear and tear since they are one of the most used rooms in the home. Paint a bathroom to make it a place you’ll like spending time.

To paint a bathroom, you will need:

• Cloth and water
• Ladder
• // Semi-gloss paint
• Paintbrushes
• Roller and tray
• Blue painter’s tape

1. Prepare the room. Wipe down the walls to remove any dirt and dust if needed with a wet cloth. Let them dry. Remove any outlet covers and light switches so you can paint under them. Also remove hardware like toilet paper roll holders or towel racks if possible so you don’t paint them. If this isn’t possible, tape them so paint doesn’t get on them.
2. Tape off the room before painting. Begin the job of painting your bathroom by preparing the room by taping off areas that won’t be painted or areas where two colors of paint will be used. If you’ll be painting the walls one color and the baseboards another color, tape off the baseboards so you can paint the walls first.
3. Begin painting. Apply paint with a roller on the large areas of the ceiling first then the walls. Then paint the small nook and cranny areas with a paintbrush. These areas include close to the ceiling, around baseboards and door frames, and close to light switches and outlets.
4. Remove any paint as it spills. It’s likely that you’ll splatter or spill some paint so have a wet rag handy to wipe up any paint right away. Step back from time to time to look and clean up as you go.
5. Paint the contrast color. If you’ll be painting contrasting colors, paint the second color after the first paint color dries so you can tape off any areas you need to.
6. Replace covers and hardware. After the paint is dry, replace light switch covers, outlet covers, and towel racks.

Rayco Painting is an Oakland house painting contractor

Rayco painting is an Oakland Ca painting contractor

Rayco Painting is a licensed Oakland CA Painting contractor

When it comes to painting your new born baby’s room, you could pick out a paint color, apply it to the walls and be done. But if you are feeling creative and a little more adventurous than that, there are a lot of great ideas you could implement when it comes to painting your baby’s nursery.

Painting a wall mural on one of the walls in the baby nursery is a very popular option. If you don’t think you can paint a mural yourself, you can hire a muralist or buy a kit. Murals are sold in paint by number or transfer type kits making it easy for the do-it-yourselfer. You can also purchase baby room murals that come in wallpaper sheets and can be easily applied and pasted on the wall.

Consider special painting techniques if they fit the atmosphere of your baby room. If you have an angel or airplane theme, you may want to paint clouds on the walls or the ceiling. For an Ocean or Nautical theme, you may want to consider painting the walls to resemble the ocean.

However you decide to go about painting your baby’s room, remember to keep in mind the décor that you are going to use for the room. The painting colors and techniques you use should go with everything else that you plan to use in the room. Don’t be afraid to be adventurous and try something new. Remember, the best thing about decorating a room is that if you don’t like how something turns out, you can always change it!

Rayco Painting is a Bay Area house painting contractor

Rayco painting is a Bay Area Ca painting contractor

Rayco Painting is a licensed Bay Area CA Painting contractor