Looking a doing a little DIY around the home? Then you’ll want to learn how to paint interior walls like a pro!
Getting your walls ready with a professional finish is essential if you’ll be installing new wall radiators, so here are our top tips for painting your walls and getting them ready for your new additions.
Get Prepared
Before you launch headfirst into your wall painting project, you’ll want to make sure that you have everything you need to hand before you get started.
Head to your local DIY store and pick up the tools you’ll need including paintbrushes, rollers, floor coverings, tape and white spirit beforehand. This means that you won’t need to stop mid-paint to go and pick up more supplies – an inconvenience that can impact the final finish.
You’ll also need to remove any radiators that are currently in place before you start, so drain your central heading system and ask a friend or family member to give you a hand.
You might also want to have some old towels to hand and a bowl to capture any excess water that will come out as you drain your wall radiators as this will help to protect your floors.
Tape It Up!
Once you’ve removed your wall radiators and have all of your painting supplies to hand, use tape to cover any pipework leading to the radiator connection points. This will help protect them from paint splashes which will spoil the overall appearance of your designer radiators once you’ve finished. This is one task that is worth the few extra minutes work before you start to slap on the paint.
Its also worth covering any skirting board edges and door frames with a little tape to protect them too.
Time to Paint
Once you’ve taped up anything you want to protect against paint splashes, it’s time to give those walls a little colour! Whatever shade you have plumped for, make sure that the coloured radiators that you’ve got ready to install work well with the colour you’ll be applying to the walls. If you decide that you’re not 100% happy with the colour once you’ve applied it, you’ll probably have to start again. Try a tester pot first before committing to painting the whole wall.
Coloured radiators can be selected to either complement or contrast with the colour that you’ve applied to your walls, so don’t be afraid to experiment with several different shade tester pots before you go head and purchase your paint. We bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how well coloured radiators work with several different shades.
If you want to stick with a neutral décor, then opt for latte, cream, white or pale grey coloured radiators that complement your freshly painted walls as they will help create an impression of space while providing the room with a fresh feel.
For those that like to be bold with colour, why not opt for an electric blue, bright yellow or vibrant red shade to add a pop of colour? This ultra-modern look works well with several modern radiator styles.
How Many Coats of Paint Are Needed?
Depending on the quality and colour of the paint you’ve chosen, you may need several coats to get the effect you are looking for. Our advice is to leave the paint to dry for at least twelve hours before taking a look at your walls again as some paint will not provide the coverage you need in just one coat.
Applying a second coat before the first application has dried can lead you to spend more on paint than you need to, so give it the opportunity to dry first before you make a decision. Be patient as you don’t want to have to remove your new modern radiators once they’ve been installed should you have applied too many coats and the colour is too dark for your taste.
Give It Some Gloss
Once you’ve got your wall painted and are happy with the coverage, it’s time to remove any tape you’ve used to protect your radiator pipework, skirting boards and door frames.
Make sure you do this slowly to avoid removing any fresh paint and make sure you have a brush and a little extra paint to hand to touch up any areas you might have missed.
Once you’ve stood back to admire your handiwork, you might want to add the final finishing touches with a little gloss before you decide to install your new bespoke radiators to avoid covering them in paint.
Freshly painted skirting boards look great against bespoke radiators and freshly painted walls, so go the extra mile and give them a lick of gloss to totally refresh your space prior to installing your bespoke radiators. It’s important to do this first as you don’t want your new additions to be spoilt by flecks of sticky gloss.
