Do I have to wash walls to paint a room?

Question

I have to paint a room in a hurry and was wondering if it matters if I wash the walls before I paint or not.

I would go over it to get surface dirt off, but don't have time to scrub the walls down.

Answer 1

A paint job without proper prep work is a waste of time. Scrape off any crud, fill in nail holes, scrub any greasy stained spots... and then yes, you need to wash the walls.

Washing the walls doesn't take that long, a rag mop and a bucket of diluted bleach gets it done real quick.

Answer 2

There is no quick way to get out of it. If you want to do a proper paint job, you should wash the walls. It only takes a few hours and will prevent future problems you might have with the quicky paint job. Get some chips and dip and a case of beer and have a wall washing party.

Answer 3

I say yes!!! If it the kitchen you should absolutely clean off that grease from cooking. Paint won't stick to grease or any wood that has had furniture polish. If the grease won't come off you may have to sand with fine sand paper. Preparation and using a better quality of paint will last 10 years or more. You have another good answer on your question, explaining prep. That is a good answer. I would recommend buy your paint from a paint store. They will keep track of the paint colors you choose so you can always match your paint if you need to do a touch up or paint again. They mix your paint and give it a good shake too.

Answer 4

You do not have to scrub them unless a three year old Michelangelo has decorated the lowest four feet with Sharpie markers.

A washing with dish washing solution [like you would do your dishes] is sufficient. Wipe on suds, wipe off with rinse rag, allow to dry before painting.

This is to get rid of any dust, hair, oils, grease which may have settled onto the walls surface since its last painting.

Answer 5

if its a hurry-up job, do not wash, as it will take a day or two to dry. Just dry dust with rags and paint away!!! If you have stains, prime over it (brush or spray) with 'Kilz-it'. It will keep the stain from bleeding through the new paint.

As the adage goes, if you have to wash your walls before you paint them, then the walls don't need to be painted!

Answer 6

Yes, you're supposed to give your walls a quick wash-over with a damp sponge or cloth to remove any dust or dirt before painting.

Answer 7

You should atleast go over the walls with a damp cloth to remove any dust or debris. Otherwise the paint may not adhere properly to the walls surface.

Answer 8

It really depends on what color you are painting (my hubby is a contractor so I have helped him out by doing painting for many years). We just pained a white room with many stains oin the walls to a color called Bungalow Gold by Ralph Lauren - it took one coat and it looks great!!! If you are painting a white room white again, you may want to rub out the stains, but if you use a good paint (Behr or Benjamin Moore), you don't have to - at all!

Answer 9

you should take a broom and sweep all dirt and spider webs off the walls. If this is a kitchen, wipe walls down with denatured alcohol to get grease off. Then with your finger, take Spackle and fill all nail holes, and caulk the baseboards, then paint the walls first, then the baseboards. I hope this helps

Answer 10

If there is smoking in home you should if not wipe the walls with damp rag