David Maslen’s pointers on painting your property

The Easter period is traditionally the time of year when homeowners start to consider maintaining or improving their property. The lighter days and better weather make even the smallest blemish more apparent. Certainly when it comes to making an immediate difference, most people understandably go straight to giving the internal walls a new coat of paint. But beware – a quick “tart-up” job can look just that, and can mar your chances of a sale should you decide to sell in the foreseeable future.

So here are a few tips to consider when repainting your walls:

1 Surface preparation is paramount.

2 Prepare and paint in daylight if possible, but take note of how your lighting can throw unsightly shadows across even minor blemishes.

3 Hack out any badly filled areas or significant cracks and fill with a fine plaster-based filler. Acrylic fillers are more flexible but unless you smooth them fully at the time, they cannot usually be sanded flush afterwards.

4 If a wall has a lot of filled areas, give it a white “mis-coat” before applying the final colour. This allows you to see any missed imperfections much more easily. Sometimes it is worth getting a plasterer in to apply a skim coat for a perfect finish.

5 Don’t expect the paint to fill hairline cracks. Fill them with fine filler.

6 Avoid papering over imperfect walls with textured or wood-chip paper. These are not popular with buyers.

7 Some staining can show through emulsion, so use a non-gloss oil-based coat on these areas first.

Painting is the easy bit. It is the preparation that takes the time. But it’s worth it, as you will have a finish that lasts at least until you realise you don’t actually like the colour!