How to Touch Up

Many of us have tried to touch up a surface only to have it look worse than it did before. This is fairly common on surfaces that have a coated finish. However, using the right methods any surface coating can be touched up properly either by yourself or by using experienced interior painting services.

It takes more than just matching the paint as you must take into consideration a series of factors in order to get it right. In essence, the finer the finish on a surface, the more difficult it will be to touch up. This is because you are matching more than just the color, but the finish and the sheen will have to be matched as well.

How to Properly Touch Up a Surface

First and foremost, you will have to properly clean all surfaces from the dust, grease and stains that have accumulated over the years. Next, you will need to make any repairs that are necessary to the drywall and then prime with the appropriate coating.

If you have any leftover paint that was used in the area that currently needs touching up, then all you need to know is how the paint was originally applied, either by brushing or spraying in order to get it right. Barring that, you will now need to find new paint in the store or hire a painting contractor to do the work for you.

Color: The next step is matching the colors which require some effort. You can use the color “eye” found in many stores on a sample which will get you close, but you will also need to know the exact formula, sheen and brand as well. You can also use a color sample deck as well. Simply cut out a hole in a business card that has a white backing and then look at the sample you have taken and the color that appears to match through the hole with white side of the backing up.

Sheen: Sheens range from dead flat to high gloss. Flat paints are generally used on ceilings and walls, semi-gloss on trims or some walls while high gloss is generally used on doors or trim. Once you have the sheen down, then it becomes very helpful to know the brand.

Application: You will need to use the same application with the touch ups as the surrounding area. Generally speaking, paint is applied in three different ways, brushed, rolled or sprayed. If the area was sprayed, using rollers or brushes won’t match, so try to duplicate how the area was originally painted.

How to Apply Touch Ups Correctly

Once you have the right paint, sheen and application process, then you are ready to do the touch up. Evaluate the roughness of the Stipple pattern. Stipple is the texture pattern left by the roller nap, if no such patter exists, skip the following process. Use a 9” roller to touch up the stipple pattern with the paint watered down to around 15%. You can then feather the area as best as you can to mix in the paint properly.