Planning to re-paint your home? Follow these top painting tips to save time and money while ensuring your DIY painting project looks great!
1. Choose the Right Paint Color
We’ve moved far beyond the days of holding paper color swatches up to a wall to decide what color looks best. Paint manufacturers and retailers now offer a variety of paint samples in small pods or other containers which you can spread out on a wall. Brush on several colors side-by-side and look at the palette in different lights and at different times during the day to decide which shade achieves the desired effect.
2. Clean the Walls Before Painting
To clean the walls before painting nothing works quite as well as a thorough wall washing; but if you are pressed for time, here’s an idea that will get the job done. Apply dusting spray to an old t-shirt — go ahead a spray all sides of that rag. Next slip the t-shirt onto a broom or mop head and use a rubber band, bread tie or other fastener to secure the bottom of the t-shirt to the handle. Run the rag along wall getting into the corners to remove dust and dirt. A wide surface broom or mop works best.
3. Fix Paint Drips and Splatters
If you decide not to tape ceiling and wall edges, there is always the risk of paint landing on surfaces you didn’t intend. The same goes for wood, tile and other hard floor surfaces if you proceed without tarps. Grab a handful of cotton swaps before you start; put some in your pocket and one or two behind each ear so they are easy to access while painting. Dampen these handy little multi-purpose items found in nearly every bathroom and they can be used to wipe up stray paint quickly and easily. Facial cleansing wipes with alcohol or even cotton balls soaked with common isopropyl alcohol clean up floor drips fast.
4. Keep Paint Rollers and Brushes Fresh
Not every paint job can be done in one day. Rather than rinsing out rollers and brushes you will use the next day, wrap them in aluminum foil to prevent the paint from drying them out. Wipe rollers and brushes of excess paint as best as you can, but wrapping them in foil will keep them ready for use when you return to the job.
5. Store Left Over Paint
So you’ve got some paint remaining after the job is done, but don’t want to waste space storing an entire gallon can. Plastic jelly jars, mixed nut containers or other plastic food jars make great paint storage containers for touch up jobs. Be sure to thoroughly clean and dry the containers and lids before pouring paint from the can into the jar. Clear plastic jars work best so you can see the color, but labeling each jar with the room in which the paint was used is always a good idea. Using smaller containers saves on storage space and they are much easier to handle.
To Recap:
1. Brush on paint samples, let them dry and then view in different light.
2. Wipe down the walls with a rag and a long handle.
3. Have swabs handy to wipe up paint splatters.
4. Wrap rollers and brushes in aluminum foil to use them the next day.
5. Store left over paint in clean, clear plastic food jars for touch ups later.
A fresh coat of paint will make any room look great. Pick a color you love, use the right tools, and the results will be something you’ll want to show off to your friends.
If you want to consider a something on a larger scale to perk up your home, we invite you to check out the home remodeling showroom at Reliable Home Improvement today!