Try not to paint too large of an area at one time. Overlapping occurs when a freshly painted section begins to dry before you start painting the adjoining area.
Repair the defects first. Then scuff sand the area around the patched area and apply a drywall primer. Stay away from the primer/sealers used for problem areas. For painting, reduce some of the original paint about 25 percent. Then apply the paint to the center of the patched area, using the original application method, and work it away from the patch. By "feathering" the touchup out from the patch, the difference in film build and appearance should be minimized since you will be blending it into the surrounding areas. If the repaired areas are still noticeable, you may have to paint the entire wall.
To achieve acceptable touch-up results, it's important to apply touch-up by the same method as the original application, if possible, to avoid having any difference in sheen or texture. Be sure to use paint from the original batch, reduced 25 to 50 percent, and only apply a thin coat. It's also best to apply the touch-up paint under similar temperature and humidity conditions as the original.
A lot depends on whether the house is new or already occupied. If new, spray painting is a much faster way to get the paint on the wall, especially if the trim isn't in place yet. Everything that you have to move, mask, or cover (furniture, trim, doors, windows, carpet) will slow the process down. You'll get a lot of "bounce-off" with an airless sprayer, that usually falls to the floor. You will need to cover anything that you don't want paint to fall on. Rolling, while usually slower, does not require as much covering and masking. You can also have several people in the house rolling at the same time, which cuts your total job time.
Latex paint dries to the touch in one hour and cleans up with water. Alkyd paint dries to touch overnight and cleans up with solvent.
Extremely high temperatures (over 100° F) could cause a paint film to dry before it has had a chance to properly adhere to the surface. This can cause it to peel in the future.
When painting with alkyd - or latex-based house paints, you should allow -5 to four hours of drying time at recommended drying temperatures before dark. This will normally be sufficient to prevent any problems caused by moisture getting on the paint film before it has dried sufficiently.
The most popular method of providing a surface that will allow even absorption of color into softwoods such as pine and poplar is to apply a coat of Minwax wood conditioner. This will allow the wood to still absorb the stain, but more evenly than without the conditioner. Another method is to apply the stain with a rag, rather than by brush. You'll be able to control the amount of stain going onto the wood better and wipe off the excess stain at the same time by this method.
There are a couple of different options. One would be to have more material added on top of the texture and then troweled to a smoother finish. This could add a lot of weight and "could" cause some adhesion problems. The other choice is to have the texture sanded smooth. That's a lot of dusty work. Whichever method you choose, make sure the walls are properly primed before applying a topcoat so you get a uniform appearance.
The ratio is one gallon of paint to a pail of joint compound. This ratio may vary depending on the manufacturer of the joint compound.
