How to fix common painting mistakes

It's no secret that a properly prepped surface is the key to a good paint job. On the other hand, if you have failed to prepare your walls correctly – or worse, not at all – the results will be far from perfect. Sadly, there's no magic wand fix when it comes to decorating. But don't panic – with a bit of patience you can sort out your mistakes. All you need is a bit of elbow grease and the right painting tools at your disposal and your botched painting job will soon be a thing of the past!

Steps

1. Dealing with paint drips

2. Removing flaky paint

3. Fixing paint blisters

4. Blending in roller strokes

Most of the time, you will quickly be able to see that the paint is dripping. This may be because it is not adhering to the surface properly or because the roller is overloaded with paint and you've failed to remove excess paint.

Wet paint drips

If this happens, stop painting right away! At this point, you still have time to sort out the problem. Start by simply wiping the excess paint away. If necessary, you can then sand down the surface lightly and apply a universal undercoat.

Dried paint drips

If your paint has already dried, there's nothing else for it but to sand down the marks until they disappear. Take care not to apply too much paint and to wipe away excess paint from the roller when reapplying your top coat.

Noticed one little flake of paint coming away on the wall? No big deal! If, on the other hand, your entire wall is flaking you've got a big job ahead of you.

Patching up paint flakes

Sand down the damaged area to blend it into the wall as best as you can. Then apply a very thin layer of fine surface filler using a filling knife, sand down lightly and apply a primer before your top coat.

Renovating flaking paint

If your entire paint job is coming away, you'll have to strip the remaining paint away using a paint scraper and sand everything back until you get an even surface. Flaking paint won't stick around for long and you risk your top coat flaking away too if you paint over the damaged surface. Don't take the risk – it's better to start again on a bare surface. This time, apply an undercoat before applying your top coat.

Blistering paint is usually caused by excess humidity in the home. But it can also be caused by applying paint in temperatures that are too high. If you have a lot of paint blisters, we'd recommend sanding the whole surface using a power sander to strip as much of the paint as possible. Apply a suitable undercoat before reapplying your top coat.

Can you see every roller stroke on the wall? Of course this won't provide the neatest finish. Sadly, this can happen with satin paints or cheaper paints. But don't worry, there are a few ways to sort out the problem.

Choose a matt finish

Matt paint is great for covering up flaws as it does not reflect the light. This finish is ideal for ceilings or any room that doesn't have to deal with moisture such as bedrooms, offices or living rooms. A matt finish therefore means you won't have to worry too much about overlapping your roller strokes and matt paint is washable to some extent.

Apply a satin finish paint

If you prefer to stick to a satin finish, take care to overlap your roller strokes from top to bottom and left to right and to work in areas of about 1 m². Most modern paints won't require such precision as the majority of paints have a creamy texture that allows the paint to spread evenly over surfaces. However, this isn't the case with cheaper paints. As they don't contain as many pigments, you'll often need to apply two thicker coats using even brush strokes.

Satin paint has the advantage of being washable.

Pick a velvet finish paint

Velvet finish paints kill two birds with one stone! They are just as washable as satin paints and cover up flaws as well as matt paints. They're also a breeze to apply – you won't need to overlap your strokes!

Required skills

Most painting mistakes can be sorted out using the same tools and skills. Knowing how to use a sander or, failing that, a sanding block, being comfortable working at height on a stepladder and handling a decorating knife are all the skills you need.

Time required

Approx. one day for one room

Number of people required

1 or 2 people

Tools and equipment

• Stepladder

• Sander

• Decorating knife

• Paint scraper

• Paint brush

• Roller

• Masking tape

• Fine surface filler

Safety and workwear

• Safety goggles

• Dust mask

• Gloves

• Decorator's overalls

Please note: this is a non-exhaustive list; Be sure to match your personal protective equipment to the job at hand.