That’s right. Painters hate holidays. Why? It’s not because they are workaholics and can’t stand to take time off. The term “holiday” refers to where the paint failed to touch the wall or stucco. Essentially this term refers to a place where the paint just didn’t stick.
What’s worse, is that often these holidays are not seen until the paint dries, possibly because the lighting in the room or on that side of the house has changed.
Hiring a reputable painting contractor, such as Burnett Painting, is the best way to ensure you avoid holidays in your next interior or exterior painting project. However, if you’re doing it yourself, you can avoid holidays by taking some proactive, easy steps during the painting process such as:
- Using a longer nap roller cover
- Saturating the roller with paint
- Pushing harder to eliminate skips
- Pushing lighter to remove roller tracks
Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
The main reason that painters absolutely hate holidays is because it simply just downgrades the final end product and can just make a wall look less than perfect. Holidays can make a room look sloppy since it essentially leaves gaps on the wall. The most common places for holidays to appear are between the wall and the ceiling and in the corners of a room, but these marks can really appear anywhere.
Many times holidays are caused by rollers bridging over hollows in the plaster or drywall job which leaves some unsightly gaps and can make a wall look like a patch job. To avoid this mess, it’s recommended to apply the paint firm but slowly and then lay off with the open end of the roller, so you are working away from your finished area. This action will also avoid the “railroad track” markings, which essentially can make a wall look blotchy instead of smooth and crisp. Following these easy steps will make holiday markings a thing of the past and will ensure that they’ll be out of your sight and mind!
Patience Is A Virtue
Painting should never be a job that is rushed. The more diligent and careful you are during your painting projects, the nicer and more refined the finished product will be. The way to avoid holidays on your walls is to simply take your time and just be careful. Holidays can be avoided prior to even slapping the roller onto the wall. By saturating a roller in paint for two minutes, it can really make a world of difference. Paint should be saturated into the fabric of the roller. Keeping the roller loaded also makes rolling easier since the paint acts like a lubricant. You also shouldn’t be afraid to roll and re-roll. Double rolling over the surface will minimize skips and misses and ultimately will ensure that there won’t be any visible holidays.
So next time you go to paint a room, be cognizant of what it is that you have to paint and simply take your time. If you follow these key instructions, the only holiday that you’ll be thinking about will be your next trip to the beach!