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Protect the carpet with 3" masking tape. Run the tape about 1/2" onto the face of the baseboard and push it down under the base with a wallpaper smoothing tool. (Putty knives will cut the tape when you're forcing it down.) Lay dropcloths over the floor and on top of the tape. Remove all switch-plate covers, put tape over the outlets and switches and remove all wall-mounted grates. Also cover any hardware, such as doorstops and hinges, and remove knobs and door strike plates.
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CAUTION:
Don't turn on light if bulb is covered.
Remove light fixture covers and mask the bases with plastic bags and tape. Then seal old water stains with a spray stain killer.
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Sand all the woodwork with 100-grit (medium) sanding sponges to slightly roughen smooth, hard surfaces and to dull glossy finishes.
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CAUTION:
Use a respirator (rated for organic solvents) or provide good ventilation when using solvent-based primers, sealers or bonding agents.
Degloss and clean the woodwork with a deglosser-cleaner for better paint adhesion or when the old paint contains lead. Also clean any areas on walls (such as around light switches) where there may be hand-oil deposits. Ideally, you should prime between 10 and 30 minutes after applying the bonding agent. But read the label. Some agents need to be painted immediately; others need to dry first.
TIP
Sanding sponges work great for sanding trim with contours and corners.
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PRIME the woodwork with a solvent-based (oil or alcohol) primer, not a water-based latex. Paint smaller trim such as casings, base and door jambs with a 2" brush, and roll doors with a 7" wide, 1/4" nap roller sleeve on a 7" roller frame. Don't be overly concerned if you slop some primer on adjoining walls, but be sure to smooth out large globs of paint. If you don't, they'll show through the wall paint later.
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ROLL on ceiling white with a 9" wide, 3/4" nap roller sleeve on a 9" roller frame. Roll as lightly as possible on this first coat in one direction only. Your objective is to apply a coat of paint to lock in the rough particles so they'll stay put when you do the second, thicker coat. You're painting two sides of each texture particle; you'll pick up the other two sides when you recoat in the opposite direction. Again, don't worry too much about slopping some paint on the walls, but avoid a large buildup.
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SAND the walls with 100-grit sandpaper to remove bumps from the old paint job, rough edges of dry-wall paper around any gouges and any other imperfections. A dry-wall sander will make the job easier. Sand primed woodwork with a medium-grit sanding sponge. Fill any wall blemishes such as nail holes and gouges with a non-shrinking spackling compound and lightly sand after they're dry. Dust all the woodwork with an old, soft paint brush or duster. Caulk all wall/woodwork joints with a paintable white silicone/latex caulk. Cut a small (1/8") hole in the end of the nozzle. Wipe off excess and smooth caulk beads with a damp synthetic sponge.
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DRAG a flat screwdriver over the edges of ceilings to remove a thin line of texture. This will ensure crisp paint lines later when you're cutting in the wall paint along the ceiling.
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CUT in the perimeters of ceilings with ceiling white and a 3" brush. Don't worry if you lap over onto the wall. Roll on a second coat of ceiling paint in the opposite direction of the first coat.
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BRUSH the first coat of latex trim paint onto the woodwork (primer is now dry) with a 2" brush, and roll doors with a 1/4" nap roller. Then "tip off" (flatten) stipples (the paint peaks left from the roller nap) immediately with a paint-moistened 3" synthetic brush. Take long, light strokes from the top of the door and from the bottom, gently lifting the bristles off the door at about the middle. Break for the day to let the paint dry. Depending on coverage, you may need to recoat the woodwork the next day. If so, lightly sand between coats with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth brush marks.
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TAPE all wall/woodwork seams with painter's tape. Lay the tape onto the woodwork and press it into the caulk with the corner of your putty knife to prevent the wall paint from bleeding behind the tape onto the woodwork. (The caulk has to be dry at this point.) Let the tape stick out perpendicular to the trim to act as a little protective roof to catch paint drips.
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CUT in one wall around woodwork, ceiling, inside corners and electrical boxes with a 3" brush. With the cut-in paint still wet, roll that wall with a 9" wide, 1/2" nap roller on a 9" roller frame. The wet cut-in paint should blend with the rolled areas to prevent "picture framing" or shadow lines at hand-painted/rolled junctions. Roll from top to bottom, from right to left, keeping the unsupported side of the roller frame pointing toward the left. Apply slightly heavier pressure to the unsupported side of the roller to eliminate roller tracks.
TIP
To speed up painting larger rooms, pour 1 or 2 gallons of paint into a 5-gallon bucket and use a roller screen instead of a roller tray.
Copyright ©2006 Home Service Publications, Inc.
I put the screws to the switch plate covers back in the holes, so they don't get lost. Just a few twists, not tight. saves the hunt for the screws at the end!