Tip 1: Choose the Perfect Color
Online color tools can help you select the absolute perfect shade to suit your home. Try ColorSnap for free; this ingenious innovation allows you to use any item as color inspiration. You simply snap a picture of your inspiration image and Color Snap generates a perfect paint match or a custom palette (complete with coordinating colors) for you to peruse. You can save the color library to use later or to share it with friends to see what they think.
Tip 2: Prep Your Paint Zone
Make sure whatever you are painting is clean, dry, and sanded. Sanding may seem unnecessary, but this important step helps the paint to stick. Use a primer so your paint doesn’t peel, or end up looking blotchy and uneven once dry.
Also be sure to protect surrounding surfaces from wayward paint. Use cloth or canvas tarps to cover the floors and furniture, and be thorough!
Tip 3: Prep Yourself
It’s normal to get covered in a mist of paint when you’re using a roller or doing a big job. A little paint never hurt anyone, but you don’t want to be donning paint freckles for the next week! To avoid this fate, wear a hat with a brim which will help shield your head and face. Along with goggles (a necessary safety measure) wear long sleeves to protect your arms. For the parts of your body you can’t cover, rub lotion on your skin thoroughly before starting to paint; this will make washing the paint off easier once you are done.
Tip 4: Roll Over the Edges
Often when painting, you’ll notice that once dry, the trim may have a very different texture than the rest of the paint job, because it’s typically done with a brush. In order to keep an even texture throughout, go over your paint strokes with a roller immediately after painting. Keep the roller close enough to the edge without bumping the perpendicular wall and smooth out the brush strokes.
Tip 5: Seal Brushes in the Freezer
If your paint job takes more than one day, you don’t have to clean your brushes only to use them again the following day. For quick and easy clean up, insert your paint brushes into freezer bags, squeeze out the air, and seal. Place them in the freezer and you can use them the next day. Do not store brushes in the freezer for more than five days or they will stiffen making clean-up even more difficult later.
Tip 6: Use a Putty Knife to Seal Tape
If you are protecting your edges with tape, be sure to press a proper seal; otherwise paint will bleed through and you will be left with uneven edges. To ensure a proper and even seal, use a putty knife. After applying your tape, go over it lightly with a putty knife to smooth and create an even seal.
Tip 7: Scrape Windows
When painting around windows, you may be tempted to protect the surrounding surfaces with tape, but it’s unnecessary. Paint will likely wind up on the glass anyway, so save yourself a step! Once you are done and the paint is dry, just scrape it off the glass with a razor blade being very careful not to scratch or mar the glass.
Tip 8: Blend Paints Together at the Start
If you’re tackling a big paint job that requires more than one of can paint, blend your paint together before starting your project. Colors tend to vary from can to can, so if you use up one can and then open the next, you may end up with a shade that’s very slightly different. To avoid this, mix the paint together at the start of your paint job for a color that’s uniform throughout.
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