Interior Painting Tips: How to Touch Up a Damaged Wall
Accidents happen, and to some of us, they seem to happen with disproportionate frequency! Our beautiful interior paint doesn’t wear out from the weather like exterior paint, but it does suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Scuffs and bumps, spills and scratches, smudges and nicks… sooner or later the paint is going to show the effects of time and life. That being the case, what can we do? Can we touch up the paint on a damaged wall?
It’s Gotta Be on the Level!
When a wall has suffered damage, the first thing to do is make sure the affected spot is smooth and level with the rest of the wall. This involves using spackle and a putty knife to fill any gouge or nick that you are seeking to cover up. Small holes (as in, smaller than a dime) can also be filled in this way, but bigger holes need more serious treatment.
Use the putty knife to apply a thin layer of spackle to the affected area, pushing the paste into the spot to fill it. Allow it to dry, then repeat the process until the depression is filled. Then use fine sandpaper to smooth the spot, making it match the surrounding wall. If you have a texture (such as “orange peel”) on the walls, it may be trickier to make it match.
If your wall trouble is just a surface marking, such as a stain or a scuff, then you can just skip this step and go on to the next phase.
It’s Prime Time!
If you have a heavy stain, like permanent marker, crayons, or something else bright and irremovable on the wall, you need a stain-blocking primer to cover the spot. That will keep the flaw from showing up again right through the new paint. Use a brush or a small roller to apply the primer just to the affected area.
Also, if you did any spackling in the previous step, make sure you prime the repaired area, since this helps the new paint stick to the repaired spot.
Now for the Touch Up
The truth is, touching up one area of a wall is very difficult to do perfectly. Even if you still have some of the original paint, the repainted area is likely to have a slightly different color tone or sheen to it. It doesn’t hurt to try touching up the affected area with identical paint, and wait a day or two to see how it looks. If the repair looks good, then you’re done! If you’re not satisfied, then we suggest painting the whole wall. It’s still easier than painting the whole room, and it makes your wall look as good as new!
Want to Know a Quicker, Easier Way?
When time is tight and this process sounds like a hassle, hiring a professional house painter is the best way to go. Hire someone with a good reputation for excellent customer service, and then sit back and let them do their thing! By hiring a professional, you can be confident your touch up painting will be done efficiently and correctly, for spectacular results!
Homeowners in Oakland and the San Francisco Bay area can call MB Jessee for all their house painting needs, whether that be a small interior paint job, or a whole house painting project. In fact, we even do commercial painting for large-scale projects! Call us today, or contact us online. We look forward to hearing from you!
