The last 5 years has seen a transformation in painting techniques by professional decorators and in this article we will look at the traditional way of painting against some of the new techniques. We warn you now. For the new school there is no right or wrong way, but we'll talk through some of the changes.
Old school painting method
The old school technique is simple. Ceiling, walls, skirting. Also NO tape! There were two main reasons for doing this. Oil based paint with a long drying times and in part, no low-tack tape.
New school painting method
In the last 5 years there has been a big shift in painting techniques. There are two main reasons for this. The first being water based paint. Water based paint's drying time is much less than oil based paint. The benefit of this along with the latest low tack tape, is that the
skirting boards can be painted before the walls. The skirting boards can then be taped and then paint applied to the walls. With the tape on the skirting the painting time is reduced as no care needs to be taken when cutting in the skirting or the walls, with the end resulting in a crisp clean line.
The other big change is of course paint spraying. Paint spraying is still evolving and it seems each and every painter has a different method when it comes to paint spraying. That said, in the right circumstances the time taken to achieve a superior finish is greatly reduced. We notice this especially when painting wood, or when painting (spraying) large open spaces when little preparation (masking) is required.
We are in a transitional time in the decorating industry and it is clear that there is not one right way of painting a room or home. What is important however is that the end result is a quality finish. We think each room has its own challenges and techniques vary from room to room. We think the flexible approach is the best approach and at the end of that day, do what is right for you!