Why is surface prep so important for interior painting?

Why is surface prep so important for interior painting?

Typically you won’t have to paint your interior too often but when it’s time for a new paint job, you just know. If it’s done right, it should last. You might think that painting the interior of your home just consists of buying the best warrantied paint available and applying multiple coats.

In all honesty, the success of your paint job can depend greatly on how well your surface is prepped. More than half the time, premature painting issues stem from incorrect surface preparation. Wendel Works, your Naples, FL interior painting experts, wants to help you avoid this issue. Let us use our expertise to tell you why surface preparation should be done and how to do it.

What is surface prep?

Surface preparation is just what it sounds like. It’s preparing a surface for painting. Surface prep is cleaning your surface. It is scraping, repairing and sanding your surface. It is also applying a quality primer. As simple as it sounds, it isn’t.

The cleanup consists of removing built up dirt, grease, mildew and everything else from the area. This may not always be easily seen or easily cleaned. Old paint and uneven edges must be scraped away. Cracks and holes need to be filled and then the entire surface sanded to form an even and smooth surface. Primer must be chosen that works best with the material and evenly applied.

It is a job that can be time-consuming as well as difficult. Many home-owners just don’t know how to do it, so they don’t.

Underestimating the importance of surface prep is a bad idea. This is one of the most important steps for your interior painting job. Whether the surface to be prepped is fresh and new or old and previously painted, your surface preparation job is the key to making both versions perfect for your home.

Why should I prep my surface?

So now you know what surface prep is, but you’re probably wondering why you should do it. There are four in particular that we’d like to tell you about. So, why should you prep your surface? Simple:

Adhesion

Paint adhesion is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to interior painting. This is the number one reason surface preparation is so important. Surface preparation gives you a surface that is clean, repaired and durable- the best foundation to bond with your paint.

If your surface isn’t clean, chances are the paint won’t last very long. Paint won’t bond with grease, oil, chemicals and dirt. Even residual water or materials from cleaning can compromise your paint. And it will flake right off when attached to old, lingering paint chips. If it’s just going to come right back off, why paint it in the first place?

Surface and Stain Sealing

Surfaces that are primed and sealed will have an even appearance that may not have been there before. This will help the area to be painted to have a more even absorption rate, allowing your paint to dry with a more uniformed appearance. This helps the color and sheen of your paint to come through more easily. If an area is not well primed, your area may not look the way that you wanted it to.

Additionally, surfaces that have to be stained should be sealed so they don’t damage the fresh paint.

Durability and Investment

All of these reasons help make your paint more durable. It bears repeating here that well prepared surfaces extend the life of your paint. This can be a money saver. Quality house paint can be expensive. If the job is done right the first time, and done to last, that’s less money you have to spend on paint. It’s also less time, and less aggravation.

Aesthetics

Lastly, the aesthetics! It goes without saying that the best looking paint job is the one that has been the best prepared. Once the paint has dried, poorly done repairs and uneven surfaces are very noticeable.

Surface Prep — a necessary action!

As you can see, for your Naples interior painting job, surface preparation can make it or break it. Making sure it’s done properly can help to ensure that your invested time and money are worth it, that your paint job will last as long as it’s supposed to.

Skimping out on it because you don’t know about it or because it’s cheaper not to do it will cause you more problems in the long run. Buying the most expensive paint and using the newest techniques can’t save you from a necessary but skipped surface preparation job.

Wendel Works is the place to go to get your surface prep job started off right. We’ll see to every minute detail of the preparation and then continue on to give you the paint adhesion job of your dreams. We have the knowledge and experience that you need.

We offer free estimates! To get your free estimate or if you want to learn more about our Naples, FL interior painters, contact us here or call us today at 239.600.1418.