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How do you avoid lap marks when painting?

Painting a house requires meticulousness and care, but if you have enough time and experience, you can also “change new clothes” for your home yourself. So, how do you avoid lap marks when painting? Let’s learn tips to avoid lap marks when painting for the best results!

How do you avoid lap marks when painting? 

Painting the walls of a house sounds simple, but there are actually a lot of steps. Below are the ways to help you to avoid lap marks when painting. 

  • Paint surface treatment
  • Use sandpaper to smooth the surface of the wall
  • Pay attention to primer
  • Choose good quality paint
  • Waiting time before painting
  • Paint tools

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Lap marks when painting

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1. Paint surface treatment

Surface treatment before painting is the most important step to create conditions for the paint to be smooth and free from lap marks. At this step, the better you handle it, the more effective the quality of the paint film, the life of the layer.

For new surface

  • New wall surface must ensure the hardening process, for at least 7 days to put powder.
  • Surface must be cleaned before plastering: removing excess grout on the surface, dirt or other impurities must also be removed.
  • Make sure the surface is not dirty, chalky, or sticky with other impurities.
  • Use a broom to clean the surface. If the surface has a lot of chalk dust, you can use a wet cloth to wipe the surface or use a roller dipped in water to roll up, let it dry, and then proceed to paint.

For painted surfaces

  • If the old surface is still good, the old paint is still good without peeling, you should sand the surface to clean the stains on the surface. After that, you clean the surface after sanding and can proceed to paint.
  • If the old paint is no longer good, you should remove the flaking layers of the old paint, scrub the entire surface including the firmly attached part.
  • For the peeling, chalking part: You can use an effervescent brush and iron brush to scrub the peeling layer, use sandpaper to smooth the surface, blow clean with air, wipe it with a wet cloth and let it dry before painting

For the moldy part

  • Use a chlorine bleach solution to scrub the mold
  • Use a stiff nylon brush to scrub and then rinse with water.
  • Let dry before painting

2. Use sandpaper to smooth the surface of the wall

Using sandpaper to smooth the surface of the wall is an indispensable step in the house painting process. You should choose sandpaper with an index of about 150 – 220.

Before using sandpaper paper, it is recommended to let the wall surface dry and have a humidity of less than 18% so that the wall can escape all moisture. 

After that, you can carry out wall treatment according to the formula: 2 layers of wall plaster powder, 1 layer of primer, and 2 layers of topcoat. 

Besides, you should use mastis paint on the surface of the wall to make the wall smoother. Finally, you can use sandpaper to make the wall surface flatter. Thanks to this way, you are partly successful in avoiding lap marks when painting

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A paint worker is using sandpaper to sand the wall

3. Pay attention to primer

In the process of painting, you should check carefully after priming to avoid the appearance of crow’s feet or lap marks on the painted surface. 

When discovered, it is advised to notify the technician immediately so that they can promptly handle the case to avoid the case that the paint is completed and then discovered.

4. Choose good quality paint

Choose genuine quality paint and powder to ensure adhesion and avoid peeling paint later.

5. Waiting time before painting

In order to avoid cracks in the walls leading to cracks in the paint system, special attention should be paid to watering and moisturizing the mortar layer during the first few days after painting. 

In addition, letting the wall dry for 21-28 days in dry weather after sizing will also help the screed become more stable and cause less cracking for the putty later on.

For the wall surface that needs to be painted to ensure smoothness and longevity, users need to learn and consult the construction contractor carefully to ensure that the architectural work is completed early and absolutely perfect.

6. Paint tools

There are different sizes of paintbrushes and rollers to use with different surfaces and purposes.

For large, flat, non-angular surfaces, rollers can be used to get the job done faster. As for the small, narrow, and angular surface, it is recommended to use a paintbrush to facilitate movement and create sharp lines.

The important thing here is: you need to clean the brushes and rollers thoroughly before and after painting to avoid the dirt on the brush or roller will create lap marks for the new paint layer.

On the other hand, if possible, you can also use a sprayer to create smooth and flawless painting layers.

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Cleaning paint tools is essential to avoid lap marks when painting

Closing Point

Thanks to the above knowledge, can you completely answer the question “How do you avoid lap marks when painting?”. Knowing the answers to the above problems, you will execute them properly, bringing the perfect beauty to your home’s coat.

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