Preparing walls for painting: check, fill, prime, protect

Check the substrate: load-bearing capacity and absorbency

Run the flat of your hand across the wall for a rub test. If white, chalky dust stays on your hand, the old coat is chalking and new wall paint will not bond properly without a deep-penetrating primer. Also press a strip of masking tape firmly onto the wall and pull it off sharply. If old emulsion or distemper paint comes away, the unstable coating must be washed off or stripped first.

Damp wall patches, mould growth or old water stains must never simply be painted over; find and fix the cause first. Nicotine stains, soot, grease and dried water marks almost always bleed back through water-based emulsion paint as yellowish patches. A stain-blocking primer (isolating primer) must be applied beforehand in line with the manufacturer's instructions.

• Rub test: is the old paint chalking or is the surface dusty?
• Tape test: is the existing paint layer sound or flaking?
• Visual inspection for damp, mould, nicotine and water stains (stain-blocking primer needed)
• Check woodchip or non-woven wallpaper: are seams and edges firm or lifting?

Fill drill holes, rawlplug holes and cracks properly

Pull out old wall plugs, vacuum dust out of drill holes and minor plaster damage, and fill them with interior filler. Let the filler dry completely and then sand the patch flush with the surrounding wall using fine sandpaper or sanding mesh. Deeper cavities are better filled in two thin layers to prevent shrinkage cracks and sunken spots.

Connection joints in room corners, along door frames, skirting boards or where walls meet the ceiling often move slightly with the building. Rigid gypsum filler quickly cracks open again there. Paintable decorator's caulk (acrylic sealant) is used for such movement and connection joints. Reinforcing tape or scrim helps bridge longer settlement or plaster cracks in the wall surface.

Prime correctly: deep primer, bonding primer or stain blocker

Freshly filled patches, bare interior plaster and plasterboard (drywall) absorb the binder in wall paint much more strongly than the rest of the wall. Without primer, the paint dries too quickly there and later shows up in raking light as dull or patchy marks. A clear or white-pigmented deep primer consolidates slightly sandy substrates and equalises absorbency.

However, not every wall needs full-surface priming: a sound, evenly absorbent woodchip or emulsion-painted wall can usually be painted directly once repaired patches have been spot-primed. On smooth, non-absorbent surfaces such as old latex paint or gypsum fibreboard, a grippy bonding primer creates the necessary adhesion bridge.

Prepare, cover and neatly mask the room

Move furniture into the centre of the room or clear the room completely. Protect floors with non-slip decorator's fleece (absorbent fleece with a film backing) and cover furniture with dust sheets. Mask skirting boards, window frames, door frames, light switches and sockets carefully with high-quality masking tape or fine-line painter's tape for crisp paint edges.

Peel off the masking tape at an angle immediately after the final coat while the paint is still wet. Once emulsion paint has fully cured, the paint film can tear when the tape is pulled off. Keep the room evenly ventilated during painting and drying, but avoid strong draughts during the first few hours so lap marks do not form.

• Move furniture to the centre and cover with decorator's sheeting
• Lay non-slip painter's fleece over parquet, laminate, tiles or carpet
• Mask skirting boards, door frames, window frames and switches with painter's tape
• Peel off masking tape while wet right after painting for clean edges

What we need for your painting quote

For a binding quote, it helps to state the number of rooms, the approximate floor or wall area in square metres, the current wall condition (e.g. woodchip wallpaper, smooth plaster, dark old paint) and a few photos. Let us know whether ceilings, radiators or interior doors should also be painted and whether a specific paint grade or colour shade is planned.

TF Clean handles complete surface preparation, filling and professional interior painting in Riesa and the surrounding area — whether for move-out cosmetic repairs, before moving in or after a clearance including final cleaning. Enter your room details in the contact form and send photos conveniently in the chat.