Hiring and interior decorator to handle the planning and styling of you interior projects can cost you quite a bit of money. Of course add in the expense of hiring painters to carry out the implementation of the project and you have a lot of money invested in the interior redesign.

Thankfully, you can improve the look and feel of the interior of your home without spending a lot of money. However, you need to first sit down and set a budget that you can live with. Then stick to your budget. Then determine what you can afford in professional help with either painters or interior decorators.

Redoing the interior of your home can be very exciting. You can change it to an environment that reflects your personality or that creates a warm peaceful feeling when you come home in the evening. The good news is you don't have to have an interior designer to accomplish this. There is plenty of information available online to help guide you through the planning process.

Most people instinctively know what to do, and with the help from interior decorating guides available online, you can create your own plan of action and a blueprint to follow. There is no need to go broke with enhancing the interior of your home. Simply use the tools, guides, techniques and your own instincts to create an exciting environment that can affect in a positive way, your mood. This can be a lot of fun so you will want to keep a very motivated and positive mindset.

To actually implement your redecorating project, you will decide if you can afford to pay for the services of an experienced house painter. If not, then I suggest that you also search online for the proper tools to use and the proper painting techniques.

There are procedures that an inexperienced homeowner can learn and do to greatly improve the quality of their paint job:

A. Study proper prep techniques for the walls to eliminate nail pops, dents, and other defects that will spoil the look of your walls.

B. Learn what tools to buy. Drop cloths, buckets, brushes, rollers, roller naps, frog tape, ladders etc.

C. Learn how to properly roll out walls and ceilings.

D. Learn how to properly hold, bump, and edge with a brush.

E. Learn the proper order of painting, ceilings first, walls second, and trim third.

F. Once ceilings and walls are painted, tape off the walls to created straight lines between trim and walls. This is vital for anyone who doesn't have years of experience in handling a brush. It will make a huge difference in the quality and look of your paint job.

G. How to properly clean up the painting tools, and the work area.

Spend some time figuring out your cost of all the equipment and paint supplies. Material cost can escalate quickly. Keep in mind that if you are changing colors, you will be almost doubling your cost for paint because you will need 2 coasts to properly cover in most cases.

ABOUT MESA PAINTING PROS

The experts at Mesa Painting Pros put all of their focus on commercial painters, residential homes, including exterior and interior color consultations and painting services. They can help you choose a color, prepare your home for painting, and make sure it looks incredible by the end. To receive a free quote for your next exterior painting project, you can contact Mesa Painting Pros.

Wood paneling is easy to paint if you follow good surface preparation procedures. Removing the paneling can be a big job. The paneling may be glued to the drywall underneath it and the drywall underneath it may not be finished very well. The thought of just tearing out the paneling is enough to make many homeowners decide to simply leave it in place and paint over it. Paneling is painted over all the time and it looks good when painted, so if the thought of tearing out , patching the drywall and finishing it doesn't appeal to you - there is nothing wrong with leaving it in place and painting it.

Surface preparation:

The universal rule of surface preparation is: "Clean - Dull - Dry".

Lead paint note:

Do not sand or scour (with a scouring pad), or in any way abrade or disturb the paneling varnish or clear coat finish if your house was built prior to 1978. Lead was banned (in America) for use in residential paints and varnishes in 1978. Do not proceed any further if your house was built prior to 1978 - it would be best to let a trained and qualified professional do the work instead. 

Cleaning

Extremely important to the painting of paneling is the cleaning of it. There may be layers of "Pledge" and residues from various cleaning solutions, and perhaps a bit of "grime" and dirt from years of service.

A good cleaning solution for cleaning the paneling is called "Krud Kutter". As the name implies, it is designed for cutting and removing all sorts of "krud". I use the spray bottle version of this and spray it on and let it "dwell" on the surface for five minutes or so to give it a chance to work, then wipe it off with the "Shop Towel" type of heavy duty paper towels. I also use a scouring pad in conjunction with the Krud Kutter (on homes built after 1978 only). The procedure is as follows: Spray on the Krud Kutter, allow it to dwell five minutes or so, then scour the wet surface with the scouring pad, then wipe it off. I work in small 4' x 4' sections and work my way around the room this way. You will need to protect all electrical outlets and switches with duct tape to prevent them from the Krud Kutter ( You should also turn the electrical power off to the room while doing the cleaning to prevent accidental electrical shock ), Also cover up any light fixtures etc.. with plastic and duct tape to waterproof them.

Clean all the paneling as described above and when you are finished, go back and re-clean it a second time. Seriously, I always clean the paneling completely - twice, that way you know it is clean and you did not miss any spots. Cleaning is probably the most important step in preparing the paneling for painting.

Priming

After the cleaning is done, allow the paneling to dry out. Once dry, you may proceed to priming the paneling. Priming is important to ensure adhesion to the paneling and to block any staining that may occur. The best primer for paneling are the solvent types of universal stain blocking and bonding primers. You can either use shellac or oil (alkyd ) primer for this purpose - Zinsser's BIN or Coverstain work well for priming paneling.

Test the adhesion first before priming the whole room

The purpose of testing first before priming all the paneling is to ensure that the paneling was cleaned well enough and that there will be no adhesion problems down the road - before proceeding any further.

How to test adhesion

The way to test adhesion is to do a cross cut tape test. You will want to check a variety of spots throughout the room with the tape test.

Apply the primer to the paneling in small 4" square patches and allow them to dry and cure overnight. The next day you will come back and using a razor knife cut a "tick - tack - toe" cross hatch cut into the primer. After the primer is cross cut , apply a piece of masking tape (regular masking tape - not the easy release type) or duct tape over the cross cuts and rub it down. Then take the duct tape and pull it off sharply. If the paint pulls off - you will need to further clean and perhaps pole sand with fine (220 grit ) sandpaper to get the paneling ready for painting. Test all the spots the same way. If the adhesion passes ( I.e. the primer did not pull off with the tape ) then you are ready to proceed with total priming of the whole room.

Tinting the primer

You may tint the primer to approximate or match the finish paint color. Both BIN and Coverstain can be tinted with universal colorants ( up to 2 ounces per gallon) to come close or match the finish color. Tinting the primer acts as a first coat and makes finish painting easier to cover or hide the underlying paneling. Ask the paint store that you purchase the primer from about tinting it.

Painting

Once the paneling is cleaned and primed you may paint it in any latex (or oil if you wish) paint that you desire. The finish painting is the easy part. Use a ¾ inch roller nap to help with pushing the paint into the paneling grooves. The best way to do this is to roll the paint on and then with light pressure "lay it off" to smooth it out and minimize roller texture.

​ABOUT MESA PAINTING PROS

The experts at Mesa Painting Pros put all of their focus on commercial painters, residential homes, including exterior and interior color consultations and painting services. They can help you choose a color, prepare your home for painting, and make sure it looks incredible by the end. To receive a free quote for your next exterior painting project, you can contact Mesa Painting Pros.

Drywall acts like a sponge, absorbing moisture at every opportunity. When drywall gets wet, it swells and buckles, compromising the integrity of your wall. This allows the underlying structures to experience prolonged exposure to moisture and begins the decomposition process, ultimately rotting the entire structure. Drywall is a versatile building material, though. Drywall that has gotten wet can be repaired with a little know how.

In order to repair wet drywall, follow the below steps:

Cut out around the affected drywall with a drywall saw. These handsaws are sold inexpensively at any local hardware store. Make sure that you cut away all affected drywall by maintaining wide margins around the defect.

Determine the cause of the water. This step is somewhat easy if your drywall was affected by an outside force like rain, flooding, or a busted water heater, but may be a bit more elusive if you have a roof or plumbing problem. If you cannot ascertain the cause of the water, make sure you call a professional.

Replace the wet drywall with dry. On a new piece of drywall, mark out a patch of new drywall in the same dimensions as the old and cut out with a razor knife or drywall saw and screw into the open hole. If there is no wall stud behind the open area, cut out the existing drywall until there is an exposed stud on either side of your repair.

Apply drywall mud. Joint compound of drywall mud is applied in layers. Make the first layer the thickest, covering all of the joints thoroughly and allow to dry. Do not worry too much about making the compound completely smooth as there will be many layers of mud and sanding before you reach your finished coat. All the mud to dry and then sand smooth. Run your hand over the joints, feeling for low or high spots and mark with a pencil. Continue sanding high spots and then add a new layer of mud over the entire repair, concentrating on adding compound to the low spots. Repeat this process until your repair is level with the existing wall.

Tip: Take your time with this step, as your mud work is the key to having a smooth wall later.

Paint-Repaint your entire wall so that the color matches. Even if you have the paint tinted to match your existing wall, the colors may not match 100%, giving you a glaring reminder of where the repair occurred. While you don't have to, you may elect to repaint the entire room to ensure color evenness.

This technique works well for small drywall repair jobs, but in situations where there are large areas of drywall to replace, such as a flooding situation, it may be advisable to contact a professional.

​ABOUT MESA PAINTING PROS

The experts at Mesa Painting Pros put all of their focus on commercial painters, residential homes, including exterior and interior color consultations and painting services. They can help you choose a color, prepare your home for painting, and make sure it looks incredible by the end. To receive a free quote for your next exterior painting project, you can contact Mesa Painting Pros.

When it comes to hanging drywall, there are certain tools you must use to get the job done right. The same rule applies for even the tiniest detail, like drywall screws. There are several options for drywall fasteners, but not all of them are good choices. The most effective nails and screws are the ones that provide a sturdy, long-lasting hold, while at the same time allowing for the proper amount of countersinking. Continue reading to learn about a few of the most common and effective drywall screws, and how they are applied in drywall installation.
Choose the Right Screw for the Right Job
Drywall screws are a little more expensive, but they do provide a stronger hold. There are many drywall fasteners that come in the form of a Philips head, but they are not all the same in terms of performance and value. The screw you choose will largely depend in the drywall application you have in store, but also on the quality of screw you are looking for. Here are four of the most common drywall screws used to hang gypsum:

1. Self-Drilling - Also used as pan head screws, these are effective for metal stud framing.
2. Course - These have course threads that securely fasten drywall to its studs.
3. Fine - These screws have smaller heads and finer threads that work well to secure gypsum board.
4. Trim-Head - Use these screws to attach wood trim over drywall.

You May Also Need Drywall NailsThere are also several types of drywall nails that are effective for fastening smaller parts to a larger base. In fact, there are 3 specific type of drywall nails that are commonly used in drywall installation. These common gypsum board nails include:

1. Drywall Nails - These are standard nails used to attach drywall to wood frames. They are designed with a large head and a barbed shank, giving them a stronger holding capacity. Some are even sterilized to protect against oil and dirt.
2. Cupped-Head Nails - These have rounded heads that allow for easier countersinking and a smooth, flat finish. They are commonly used to secure drywall to wood framing. They require to use of joint compound to cover the exposed head.
3. Cement-Coated Nails - These nails have a resin-coated shank that is smooth. This allows for stronger holding power. Their common application is to secure drywall to wooden framing.

Professional Drywall InstallationIt is highly recommended to hire a licensed contractor for drywall installation and repair. They have the proper training, experience, and resources to provide professional drywall service in a convenient time frame. You don't want to make the mistake of injuring yourself or damaging your property if you have never hung drywall before!
​ABOUT MESA PAINTING PROS

The experts at Mesa Painting Pros put all of their focus on commercial painters, residential homes, including exterior and interior color consultations and painting services. They can help you choose a color, prepare your home for painting, and make sure it looks incredible by the end. To receive a free quote for your next exterior painting project, you can contact Mesa Painting Pros.

Stair Railings. Banisters. Handrails. Call them what you will, they are more than just a means of safely ascending and descending your staircase, they can make a significant architectural statement in any house.Walk in to one of the Victorian homes found throughout Boston and you’ll be welcomed by a dramatic staircase with banisters that highlight the home’s rich history. The same is true of more contemporary homes; some of the most creative railings turn a mundane space into one that is visually spectacular by combining wood, metal and glass.

The degree to which a staircase impacts a home’s interior is affected by its size and shape, the room in which it exists, the materials used to fabricate it, and its color and finish. The treads and risers are important as is the railing, including posts, spindles and the handrail, each a defining feature. On all of these surfaces, paint and stain can be transformative.

The process of painting or staining the staircase of your home begins by assessing its current condition, how it is typically used and the outcome you are seeking. Stairs leading to a basement tend to be treated very differently from a staircase that is part of a grand entrance. Would you like to preserve the character of your staircase? Are flaws to be repaired or masked? Do you want to transform the look of your home or enhance what is there? Painting or staining your staircase can achieve one or all of these results.

Like all painting projects, prepping is where we begin. It is often the most time-consuming part of a paint job and it is also the most important. It involves protection of steps, risers, posts, railing or walls, anywhere not to be painted,and it creates an optimal surface for paint application.

Take a look at this magnificently detailed wrought iron railing carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and taped so as not to be affected by sanding and painting the steps and risers.

In some cases, staircases will require post repair, or the closing of gaps that have formed, or filling in cracks with wood putty. In addition, proper sanding will smooth uneven surfaces and allow the paint to properly adhere. The care we take in prepping, whether painted, stained or some combination of both, assure a result that is both beautiful and long lasting.

Note below how meticulously refinished wood railings, painted stairs and natural wood floors enhance the dramatic turn of these handrails.
​Proper preparation, quality paints and stains, expert application. The results can be extraordinary whether your staircase is as dramatic as those shown here or more simple in style.