Good preparation of surfaces prior to painting is essential for a good finish. Therefore, these instructions must be followed:

1. Before anything else, define the types and quantities of paint you are going  to use and the material you will need. You should have everything you need before  you begin painting to ensure that you will not have to leave in the middle of the  job because something is missing.  

2. The next step is to remove as many items as possible from the room to be  painted. If there is furniture or equipment that cannot be removed, place them in the  centre of the room and isolate them with a plastic drop. Baseboards, door frames,  window frames, electrical plugs and switches must also be protected using baseboard  and painting tape. Also use plastic sheeting to protect the floor. 

3. Don’t forget that your protection is also essential. You must therefore use  a protective coveralls, gloves, mask and goggles, whenever necessary.    

4. Remove all foreign objects (nails or similar) from the surface to paint which are  no longer required or which impede the smooth passage of the brush or roller. 

5. All holes should be covered with plaster or an appropriate grout and then  painted over. Note that the plaster/grout must be made in small quantities as it hardens  quickly. After the plaster/grout is completely dry use sandpaper to smooth the surface  and make it uniform.

6. Don’t forget that the painting sequence should be as follows: ceilings, walls, doors  and windows and finally baseboards, if any. 
 

Follow the steps described below to ensure a good finish when painting a surface:

Follow the steps described below to ensure a good finish when painting a surface:

1. Ensure the paint is very well mixed before you start painting. If you use more than one package, it's a good idea to place all the paint in one container, mixing it very well. You should never use a brush to mix the paint as you may damage the bristles. A mixer should be used for this purpose.

2. Pour part of the paint into a tray, to the level of the bottom of the drain board. Do not exceed this level, otherwise you increase the risk of spilling paint and you will also have difficulty in draining the roller.

3. Paint a small strip all the way around the border of the surface to paint using a brush, adjoining baseboards, door frames, window frames and other parts inaccessible to the roller. If you are using a new brush, dip it in the paint you have selected and make a few brush strokes on a rough surface before using it on the surface to be painted. This ensures that any small loose bristles on the brush are removed, thus preventing these small bristles from being transferred to the surface to be painted.

4. Painting with the roller is next. Note the following:

a. Soak the roller well in the paint in the tray’s well.

b. Run it two or three times over the drain board of the tray, applying light pressure to remove excess paint. Do not overload the roller with paint since it is preferable to have not enough paint than excess paint. Practice will teach you how much paint is needed to paint the defined surface.

c. Choose in advance an area of about 1m × 1m on the surface to paint and start painting it, moving the roller up and down, overlapping the paint onto the areas already painted with a brush. Do not move the roller while it is rotating, as there will be the risk of being splashed with paint by the action of centrifugal forces. If the roller is running out of paint do not continue to paint until the last drop. This will decrease the life of your roller and the paint will not be uniform.

d. Once the previously defined area is fully painted choose a new section of the surface adjacent to the first and repeat the procedure, always ensuring that the paint being applied overlaps a little on the surface already painted.

e. Repeat these operations, zone after zone, until the painting is completed.

f. Leave the painted surfaces to dry and, if necessary, apply a 2nd coat, proceeding in the same way as for the 1st. It is recommended that the dominant direction of roller displacement is perpendicular to the direction most used in the 1st coat, to achieve the best results. Thus, if the 1st coat was applied horizontally, the 2nd coat should be applied vertically.

 

ROLLERS

Once you have finished using a paint roller clean it as described below:

1. Place the roller in the tray and pour over it the thinner indicated by the paint’s manufacturer. Press down on the roller and roll it over the board. Repeat this process until all the paint has been removed.

2. Complete cleaning by rinsing the roller in lukewarm water with soap. 

3. Hang the roller up to complete drying. 

If a water-based paint has been used you only need to use soap and water to clean the roller. Note that due to the rapid drying properties of this type of paint, the roller should not be left uncleaned, not even for 10 or 15 minutes.

BRUSHES

The bristles of a brush must be carefully cleaned after use, as described below:

1. To clean enamel paint or varnish, use the appropriate solvent identified on the label of the can of paint you have used;

2. Just clean with soap and water if water-based paint was used.

When cleaned the brushes must be hung out with the bristles pointing to the ground, until fully dry. 

Experience has shown us that brushes should never be immersed in water overnight. They must be thoroughly cleaned as indicated above. If the bristles are immersed in water they may soften, leading to a loss of consistency and a reduction of durability. Boiling water should also not be used to clean brushes, as this softensand deforms the bristles. Following these recommendations will ensure that subsequent uses will not lower than expected quality results. It is also important to remember that the base of the bristles must be cleanedwith special care since this is an area where paint is more likely to accumulate.