All the furniture is back in place, the drop sheets are gone and the windows are open to help disperse the smell of fresh paint. You look around your freshly painted home and it’s hard to put into words the difference it makes to brightening up your living areas and giving your home a newer, more modern look.

Of course when you have your home painted it always looks amazing, but what about the months and years that follow? How can you make sure your home will always look like it has a fresh coat of paint?

Tony Devito, the owner of TFS Painting has been painting homes for over 30 years so has some expert advice on how to maintain your new paint job once it’s been completed.

Check your walls a few times a year

The first step in fixing a problem is identifying there is one. Walking through your home and conducting a spot check on your walls can help prevent bigger issues down the track.

Make sure you carefully inspect any cracks or unusual discolourations as this could be a sign of potential water damage to your walls which can lead to bigger, more expensive problems.

Pay special attention to wet areas in bathrooms, above hotplates and rangehoods and areas where paint may get rougher treatment than normal (kids rooms, heavy traffic areas, etc).

Wash your walls a few times a year

Don’t be afraid to give your walls a wash a few times a year to make sure that new paint look stays for as long as possible. It’s always a good idea to pay special attention to areas that tend to get grubby fingerprints on them like the areas around light switches, corners and places pets and children walk or rub against.

What you’ll need
Luckily washing your walls is super easy. All you need is a bucket, some water and soap and you’re good to go.

Gently clean your walls with a cloth or sponge and warm soapy water, then follow up with drying it off with a towel to avoid creating streaks or wipe marks on your walls. Don’t use anything abrasive like dish scourers, brushes or soaps with microbeads in them as this can scratch and damage your new paint.

Touch up flakes or marks

It’s inevitable that at some stage you’re likely to mark, chip, take a chunk out of or scratch your new paint. Don’t worry too much about it as this happens to everyone. Kids throw things, pets will scratch, furniture being moved, gouge marks, etc.

Part of living in your home means your walls will sometimes cop the brunt of a misplaced dresser corner or plastic toddler’s toy. If your new paint job gets marks or chips taken from it, you can easily touch these up (talk with Tony about getting a small can of touch up paint if you choose to engage him to paint your home for you).

What you’ll need

• Small can of touch up paint
• Drop cloth
• Good quality paint brush or roller (talk to Tony about quality brands)

Make sure you use the same application method as the original paint job. If it’s been painted with a brush, use a brush for your touch up. If a roller has been used to apply the original paint, use a small roller to apply the touch up.

Preparation of the area will vary depending on the damage that’s been done to the wall. If there’s a gouge or deep scratch on the wall, you may need to fill any holes or gaps with putty, allow it to dry and use a damp sponge to even out the surface before painting. If it’s just some flakes or chips that can easily be painted over, you may be able to apply paint directly to the surface.

Note: It’s always a good idea to talk with your painter about getting a can of paint the same colour they have used on your home for touch up or repair painting as small variations in colours and sheen in paint purchased months or years after the original paint job can leave your touch ups looking slightly different in colour and texture.

A word on pressure washers

Whilst pressure washers are great for getting rid of mould on driveways and cleaning concrete, they can damage your home’s exterior paintwork so it’s not advisable to use a gurney or pressure washer to maintain your home’s exterior paintwork.

A normal hose attachment and a soft brush is a better option as this gives you much more control over the pressure being applied to your paint and will easily loosen dust and dirt leaving your paint looking fresh and new.

We hope these hints and tips have helped you to discover the easily completed maintenance tasks you can do at home to keep your new house paint job looking fresh, new and like it was painted yesterday.

If you would like to talk with Tony about house painting, please feel free to contact him directly on 0433 123 785 or fill out the enquiry form on our contact us page.