Painting is the easiest way to freshen up your place but as many of us have found out the hard way, this project can turn into a messy task of splattered paint and endless coats if you're not careful. These helpful tricks and tips can save you time and make your painting a lot easier.
Prep your surfaces, professional painters’ starts with properly preparing the surface. This means you must sand, patch, and fill holes and cracks. This isn't the fun part but it is the most important part. No paint, regardless of its cost, colour, thickness, or manufacturer's claims, will hide a dent or cracked surface.
Line your paint tray with a plastic bag or aluminum foil. This would save you money from purchasing new trays and after project clean up. When you are finish just remove plastic bag or aluminum foil.
Use canvas rather than plastic drop cloths. Plastic provide an inexpensive way to protect floors and furnishings from paint spatters, but canvas lays flat and presents much less of a tripping hazard, it absorbs paint drips, unlike plastic drop cloths, which become slippery when spattered with paint. Plus, most plastic drop cloths must be tossed out after using. Canvas drop cloths will last a lifetime.
Get yourself a telescoping extension pole for your paint roller. Extension poles come in various lengths, up to 18 feet long, but one that extends from 18 to 36 inches is good enough to paint rooms with 8- to 9-foot-tall ceilings. Check that your paint roller's handle has a threaded hole in the end, then simply twist it onto the extension pole.
Peel painter’s tape off shortly after the paint dries to avoid chipping. It’s better to remove the tape sooner rather than later. Try removing tape at an angle to ensure a clean line.
For painting trim, use a stiff angled brush instead of bothering with painter’s tape. When using this no-tape method, keep a wet rag on hand to wipe up any paint slip-ups.
Need to take a break? Wrap your brush/roller in a plastic bag to keep it from hardening, trick is to keep air from getting to the brush/roller. This will keep the brush/roller from hardening for weeks.
To store paint, cover the open can with plastic wrap to keep the lid from sticking. Add a dab of paint to the lid to help you remember which paint colour it contains.
We hope you find our tips useful.
Happy Painting!