Polymer paint provides a thick, durable finish.
Polymer paints are generally thicker and less smelly than other types of paint. These paints contain a polymer compound that bonds with the pigment, forming a paint that lasts longer than standard latex or acrylic paints. Proper preparation and application will help ensure the quality and durability of your paint.
Instructions
1. Clean your walls with a cleaning solution that contains trisodium phosphate (TSP). Spray the TSP solution onto your walls and scrub with a damp sponge. Rinse the residue and soil off your walls with fresh water. Let your walls dry.
2. Protect your ceiling, baseboards and other adjoining items with a few strips of carpenter's tape. Remove rugs and cover your flooring with drop cloths. Protect immovable items of furniture with additional drop cloths.
3. Apply your primer coat to your walls. Although some varieties of polymer paint don't require a primer coat, this layer can help hide dark wall colors and stains. Use your paintbrush to create a paint border around the perimeter of your wall. Make your border about 3 inches wide. Work your border across the ceiling, then down each wall and finish with the area near the floor.
4. Use a roller to apply the primer to the interior portion of your wall. Select a nap length that matches your wall texture. Use a long-nap for rough walls and a short-nap for flat or lightly textured walls. Begin rolling by creating a shape that resembles the letter W on your wall. Fill in the gaps between the diagonal lines with vertical strokes of your roller. Let your primer coat dry for the specified amount of time. Basic primer paints often take between two and four hours to dry completely.
5. Apply the polymer pain in the same manner as you applied the primer, starting with your border strip and moving on to the interior of your wall. Most polymer paints dry fast, making it necessary to work quickly. Let your polymer coat dry until no tackiness remains. Stand back and examine your wall for bleed-through and streaks. Polymer paints seldom require more than one coat, however if you notice some imperfections in coverage, apply a second coat to provide full coverage.
6. Remove the painter's tape from the surrounding ceiling and walls. Use a razor blade to cut through areas where the paint adheres to your tape. Making these cuts prior to pulling helps keep the paint in place and releases the tape without marring the walls.
