Winter’s snow and ice may slow down many home improvement projects. However, it doesn’t normally stop interior painting projects. Accordingly, snow days can be the perfect time to paint.
How can you put a snow day to good use? Don’t just sit and be miserable while trapped in your house. Check a home improvement project off your list. Why not tackle your interior painting project?
Below are some great tips for painting in the winter:
- Great lighting is essential when painting. It not only makes the colors look better, but it can also speed work by helping you differentiate between painted and unpainted areas on your surfaces. This will eliminate missed areas caused by too little light.
- That’s one positive aspect of painting in the winter: the natural light is often great. A sunny, snow-covered landscape reflects plenty of light into your room. Even without snow, very cold days are often clear and sunny — perfect for painting.
- Remember that winter days are very short, so you’ll need to get an early start to capitalize on the great natural lighting. You can maximize your available time by prepping your room for the next snow day. Remove any curtains, outlet covers, and switches. Be sure to have your paint, brushes, and any other supplies already purchased and ready to go in advance.
- When buying paint, choose a combination of paint and primer products. This serves to hide the existing color better and possibly allow you to apply fewer coats. This will help you to maximize your time on a short winter day.
- It’s important to consider ventilation while painting. This can be a challenge in the colder months. Either crack the windows slightly or run an exhaust fan. Always work with water-based latex paint (as opposed to oil-based or alkyd coatings). And look for paint low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds). This paint type emits less odor, eliminating some of the lingering paint smell when you’re done painting.
If you take the time to plan ahead a bit you can make the most of your time when stuck at home on a snow day. Have your supplies ready and chances are, you won’t have to wait long for it to snow 🙂
