Closets are often forgotten little rooms that are not finshed off as nicely as the rest of your home. Closets are important. After all, what would we do without them?
Closets don't need to look like miniature Taj Mahals, but considering that we often put favorite clothes and linens in there, having nicely painted closets makes sense. They are easy to paint and usually taking everything out, then putting it back in, is the biggest part of the job. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Empty out your closet. Clean down the walls, check for mold (sometimes it's hidden especially near bathrooms) and vacuum the floor.
It's usually easiest to paint closets an off white and a satin or semi gloss paint will hold up better; it is easier still if you paint the walls and trim the same.
2. If there are removable shelves, take them out and use masking tape to mark where the shelves were. If the shelves are fixed wooden ones, check the gaps where small pieces of jewelry and what have you may have fallen. For an extra finished look, caulk all the visible gaps.
3. Put a towel, newspapers or drop cloths on the floor. For small narrow closets, you may want to choose a short handled roller to get into the smaller spaces. If the spaces between shelves are all narrow, use a six-inch "Johhny" roller. It won't hold as much paint but you will save time by allowing you to roll more instead of brushing.
4. Usually in rooms, you cut in with a brush before rolling, but the bar doesn't have to be set as high for closets. Roll everything first, using the roller sideways if you have to, getting as much surface as possible. Let it dry at least 30 minutes.
5. Cut in all the corners, the back part and around the trim. If you are painting over flat paint or builder paint, count on doing two coats. Roll your second coat and let it dry. Do whatever second coat cut-in you need to for it to look good.
6. Let the closet dry overnight if possible before putting things back in. Since it takes up to a month for latex paint to fully cure, don't put anything really heavy (books, heavy shoes, plates) on painted shelves for a while. Once the shelves have dried overnight, you can put liner paper on the shelves if you wish.
Tags: need look, paint will, second coat
