5 Interior Painting Hacks for your Melbourne Apartment – Tips from a Professional Painter

If you have ever tried to paint your home yourself, you will understand that sometimes it is not as easy as it might seem: Paint drips onto your carpet, the colour may not come out as you had envisioned, and there’s just a lot more time invested than you had ever imagined. Our painting hacks will help simplify the process to ensure the bests results!

In Melbourne we are known for our abundance of trendy, small apartments however, with so much to see and do in our city, we don’t always spend a lot of time at home, making it more important to take care of home maintenance tasks to ensure a relaxing interior that is comfortable and welcoming when we actually are at home!

If you have a small apartment it may be viable to paint it yourself instead of calling the professionals so we have outlined some awesome painting hacks to help you paint your Melbourne apartment.

Use the Right Tools 

If you want to paint like a pro, you will need some pro tools! Don’t worry though, you can purchase all of these items from your local hardware store. 

Here is your ultimate DIY apartment painting shopping list: 

• Sugar Soap 
• A Bucket 
• Plastic Drop Sheets 
• 2 Rollers 
• 50mm Paint Brush 
• 24mm Masking Tape 
• Caulking Gun 
• No More Gaps 
• Sand Paper 
• Ladder 
• Gloves 

If you have small holes in your walls that you need to cover up you will also need: 

• A Putty Knife 
• Paint Scraper 
• Plaster Compound 

Hot tip: It is best to go shopping at least one day before you plan on painting in case you can’t get all the supplies you need. Remember you need to find all the items you need and a colour you are confident with, and also to get it all back to your apartment and lay everything out and prepare.   

Choosing your Paint 

• Speak to your local paint shop and hardware stores to see if you can get some sample paint colours to take home. Samples are great because it is hard to match the lighting of the shop with the lighting of your home. Different lighting sources and colours can really impact the appearance of the colour you choose. If you get samples, paint them on to a small area of the room you are painting to make sure it gives you the desired look before purchasing. 
• Keep in mind that it is often best to get two colours for painting your apartment – one for the ceiling and one for the walls. This will help make the apartment look larger.  
• Opt for lighter colours such as white, beige or grey to give your apartment the perception of more space. 
• Be sure to explore different finishes as well they will make or break the appearance of your new paint work. 

HOT TIP: Always get more paint than you think you need in case you calculate it wrong, or you want to touch up the paint job later. You can calculate this by measuring the room before you go to the shop where they can work out how many litres of paint are required based on your measurements. Be sure to also note down any openings in the space such as doorways and windows!  

Preparation is KEY 

A lot of people find painting difficult because of lack of planning. If you follow our guide to prepare your home for an easy paint job, you will have a much smoother and more pleasant experience:

• It is always best to remove your belongings from the room you are painting, but we understand that apartments are small so it can be a difficult task. No need to worry; if you can’t remove your furniture, just make sure to lay plastic drop sheets over your belongings and the flooring to make sure if there are any accidents that your items are protected – Don’t forget to remove or cover any vents and coverings as well. 
• Make sure you vacuum up anything that may get into your paint and make it difficult to maintain a smooth surface. This includes cobwebs, dust, insects etc. 
• Remove grime from walls with a cleaner such as sugar soap. Make sure you remove any excess chemicals with clean water and a rag to ensure it doesn’t affect the paint finish. 

HOT TIP: If you lay tape along the edge of your flooring at the skirting board joint, you will reduce the likelihood of your brush collecting dust when you paint the skirting board itself. 

 Prepare any Uneven Walls 

A paint finish is only smooth if the wall itself is smooth. To ensure the best finish, make sure you patch up any holes or deep scratches prior to starting out. You can use plaster compound or joining tape should the hole be too deep for plaster compound alone. Once it has dried, be sure to sand it back to a smooth surface and sand your trims as well for a clean and even finish.  

HOT TIP: Most existing paintwork can be simply painted over, but should you have cracked or loose paint on your walls, you should lightly sand it back to ensure a smooth finish. 

NAIL your Technique 

This is the hard part – making sure you paint in the correct order! Before beginning, make sure you mix your paint well and be sure to follow the setup instructions on the paint can. Follow our step by step guide below to ensure you achieve the smoothest outcome.

• Lay out all of the tools and materials you will need for painting the room – It is much easier to have quick access to all of them before beginning. 
• Make sure you pour your paint onto a tray or cup instead of putting your paintbrush directly into the paint can. Just add a small amount for each area and top it up as required.  
• Begin with the tricky areas around your ceiling. Use your paintbrush to paint the areas surrounding the lights and cornice first. 
• Follow up the tricky areas with the paint roller for the remaining surface of the ceiling, ensuring you use the roller in only one direction. 
• Repeat with a second ceiling coat once the first coat has dried (usually after a few hours)  
• Once the ceiling is dry, move onto painting the trims with your paintbrush, again applying two coats. 
• Finally, use your roller to paint your walls from top to bottom until complete. Once dry, apply the second coat. 
• Immediately remove any masking tape and wait for the paint to dry before removing any other protective sheets. 

Hot tip: Have a bucket of warm water and a cloth handy in case you spill any paint and make sure you clean it up ASAP.  

There you have it! You now have a fresh new apartment to entertain family and friends for years to come. For more painting tips and tricks for your Melbourne residence please visit SG Coatings. 

This post has been created by our friends at SG Coatings, Melbourne. SG Coatings has been founded and managed by Sophie Grover, who is an expert in the construction industry with 17 years of experience. SG Coatings offers home interior and exterior painting as well as commercial painting services on the Mornington Peninsula, Bayside and Melbourne areas.