Repaint the walls of the house

Ask yourself the right questions

Repainting the walls is not a decision to be made lightly. Before starting the work you have to seriously think about the result you want to achieve in terms of color, final appearance, details. Only in this way will you be able to decide which techniques and which products to use.

Prepare the wall

The wall to be painted must be smooth, clean and compact. To prepare it, you can proceed in various ways:

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- If the wall is covered with wallpaper, there are not many ways out: you have to peel it off. The best way to do this is to use the special machine, which you can buy or rent in DIY stores, and then remove any residues by scratching the wall with a spatula. Once all the wallpaper is peeled off, spread a layer of plaster, smooth the wall and paint.

- If there is already a layer of paint on the wall, you can either smooth the holes and cracks with sandpaper (then you will have to close them with putty), or cover the surfaces to be plastered with an opaque and diluted glycerophthalic paint (if wall has traces of grease, spreads two layers).

- If you have closed the traces of holes with chalk, wait until it is completely dry and then paint it with acrylic paint. Only at this point can you apply a layer of plaster.

Pass the plaster

This operation consists in spreading one or more layers of plaster on the wall, so that the wall to be painted becomes perfectly smooth. If the wall is in good condition, you can apply the plaster only on areas that have small imperfections (holes, cracks), but if it is very damaged you will have to plaster the entire wall.

There are several types of plaster:

- Civil plaster and rustic plaster (the latter is to be used only in special cases: doors or windows).

- The powder plaster (which you must mix with water) or the ready-to-use premixed plaster.

Sand the wall

When the wall is perfectly smooth, sand it with fine-grained sandpaper. As with plaster, you can smooth the entire wall or limit yourself to areas with imperfections. Do not forget that the dust produced by sanding is harmful to health, always wear a protective mask.

The paint

There are several types of paint:

- The acrylic paint

This paint has numerous advantages: it is the least dangerous and by far the least polluting. Quite inexpensive, it is very easy to use, however it is not suitable for humid rooms such as the bathroom.

- The glycerol paint

This paint covers perfectly and will help you get rid of any traces of moisture or dirt. It is especially suitable for bathrooms and exterior door and window coverings.

Whether you have chosen acrylic or glycerophthalic paint, to spread it you need to get:

- a roller, for the wall and the ceiling

- a brush, for edges and finishes

- a rectangular container from which to draw the paint with the roller.

Do not forget to dilute the acrylic paint with water and the glycerol paint with the White Spirit solvent.

The choice of colors and appearance

Try to match colors and shades harmoniously. If you are afraid of making a mistake or if your rooms are not bright enough, play it safe and choose an opaque white, which will give your environment a lot of light. Also remember that light colors make spaces seem larger.

Depending on the effect you want to achieve, the paint you will need to use can be uniform and opaque or bright and satin. If you are brave enough you can also try the patina finish, a technique that gives depth to the walls and will make your interior more authentic.