28 Jul Touch Ups Rarely Work!
If you’ve lived in your home long enough, there’s a good chance that you’ve done some level of damage to your walls, ceiling, or woodwork. Whether it’s carrying groceries, bringing in luggage, or simply dropping something by accident, your walls can take a beating. In many cases, the drywall is not damaged, but the walls can get scuffed up and may require a touch up to hide the marks left behind.
If you’re lucky, the best way to hide these unsightly marks is by using leftover paint from the original paint job. After you’ve found the paint can that’s been buried in your basement for a few years, you may do what any of us would do: shake it up, dip your brush in and touch up your wall. After letting it dry for a couple of hours, you may go back with high expectations. Instead, you see a spot on your wall that sticks out like a sore thumb! What happened? Why didn’t the paint blend in?
There are several reasons why the paint did not touch up. These may include: application method (brush finish vs. roller finish), the amount of time that has lapsed since the surface was originally painted, temperature, paint sheen, and porosity of the surface. In most cases, it’s very difficult to replicate the exact same conditions as when the paint was originally applied. Also, certain colors will fade after being on the wall and exposed to sunlight, whereas the original product hasn’t seen the light of day.
So now you’re saying to yourself, “the original product is not touching up! OK, now what?? The best approach is to face these situations with low expectations. Touch ups rarely work! Plan on painting the entire surface from end to end to give it a uniform, even appearance. That doesn’t mean repainting an entire room, but you may need to repaint the entire wall, ceiling, or trim piece. That may require a little more time, but in the end, you’ll be happy with the results
Mike Katounas is the owner of Home Works Painting, a painting business in Northern Virginia. He has over 15 years of experience in residential interior and exterior painting, drywall installation/repair, carpentry, wallpaper removal, power washing, commercial painting, color consultation, and staining/sealing. Their service areas include Chantilly, Fairfax, Herndon, Oakton, Reston. Mike takes pride in his work, and he always follows a strict code of conduct that includes the use of quality paint, a clean workspace, and an honest, respectful approach to his customers.
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