Painting a sheetrock/drywall patch

Have you ever painted a sheetrock/drywall wall patch or ceiling patch only to find out that the paint you are using doesn't seem to blend in with the existing paint very well? There may be a number of reasons why.....I will touch on a few of these right now.....read on....

We'll do a quick Q & A style for this OK? Meaning....I will write down a question then I will follow that up by giving an answer so I will start out the "Questions" with a Big "Q" followed by the "Answers" with a big "A". Here we go:

Q: "I'm using the exact same paint out of the same paint can that was used from before & the paint isn't matching. What's going on? I knew this would happen. I'm not a painter. Why didn't I call a professional painter? Here I go trying to save money again but it never seems to be that easy. What happened?"

A: There may be more than 1 reason for this. Calm down & remember that you don't have to be a professional painter to "paint a patch" & for pete's sake...start reading this blog! First off, did you mix up the paint can?.....I mean really good....which means stirring it for at least 2 minutes maybe longer. Depending on "how old the pan can may be" can determine whether or not the paint will blend in properly with a full body paint mix. If the paint is too old, it may not mix up properly. There might be alot of "globbs" in it which will not mix up properly &/or there might be alot of "gunk" stuck to the bottom of the paint can which doesn't seem to mix up properly so when you get done mixing up the paint, it then is not exactly to the consistancy needed thus the possible problem.

Q: "But the paint can is only a couple of months old & I about mixed up the paint until my arm fell off. I put the paint on the wall/ceiling patch & it looks like a giant "mistake,mess,you fill in the blank". I'm not an expert at this but I must've done something wrong. How could a simple thing like this turn out so "ugly"?"

A: There has to be reason why but it's not because you are "stupid". It's not rocket science we're talking about here so let's come up with the answer(s)/solution. Were you painting over a "raw sheetrock/drywall patch"?

Q: "Yes.....I was putting the paint on over a "raw sheetrock patch" meaning my son "accidentally"....yeah right....kicked a hole through the wall & we had someone come over & repair the sheetrock (tape & finish) for us so yes.......there is raw sheetrock mud on the wall. What difference does that make anyway?"

A: Before I answer that, you say that your paint job does not match. How many coats of paint did you use? There are certain steps that "must" be taken in order to have your paint patch "blend in" to the existing surroundings.

Q: "Well.....I ah....I ah.....just put 2 coats of paint on it & called it good. That should have done the trick right?"

A: Not exactly. It sounds like you didn't apply a first coat of "primer" to the patch prior to installing the 2 coats of finish paint. You have to install a primer for the first coat or the finish paint generally will not blend in to the existing surroundings since the first coat of paint soaks up into the raw sheetrock patch materials thereby making your 2 coats of finish paint not good enough. Even if you were to apply a 3rd coat of finish paint or a 4th coat of finish paint to your patch now, your sheetrock wall patch will still stand out & look "like a sore thumb" because you didn't use a "prime coat" first.

Q: "Oh"..............so what should I have done?"

A: A "prime coat" of paint should've went on first then you would apply 2 coats of "finish paint" for a total of 3 coats. Then the "wall patch" would've blended in better.

Q: "So what can I do about it now?"

A: I guess you will just have to live with it & chalk it up for "poor man's excuse" & be assured that everytime you go into your Living Room you must be reminded that you are an awful painter/wannabe-er......just kidding. Of course you can do something about it! I want you to learn something from this experience. You've got your time (& name) invested in this little project now. You may not like my answer though. You have to do the paint job over. You heard me..you have to do the paint job over. It's not as painful as it sounds though, now that you have the hang of wielding a paint brush & roller (more about that on an upcoming blog).

Q: "Wow.....I am relieved to hear that. Just tell me what to do & I'll do it. I don't want to be in the dog house with you know who. I'll do whatever you say OK?"

A: Great. First you will have to apply a coat of primer to your completed patch. Once the prime coat is dry then install the 1st coat of finish paint again then....once that is dry.....apply a 2nd coat of finish paint. Then your paint patch will be complete.

I'll touch on other important items on "why your painting patch may not be matching" next time. I'm also working on a cool "Free" video entitled "7 Tips for your next Painting Project" so stay tuned. Keep checking back to this blog for important tips & information for your next painting project. Thanks for joining us.



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