Some DIY PAINTING TIPS
Painting is a very black and white project. People either love it or hate it. There is no real gray area. I have never heard anyone say, “Painting is ok. I don’t mind it.” It’s an all or nothing thing. That being said, I know there are people reading this that love the idea of grabbing a brush/roller and going to town on a room. That being said, I wanted to share with you some of the tools we use in hopes of making the job a little easier on you.
Scotch Tape and 9” Brown Paper: If you are not painting the baseboards, these two items will be a life saver for you and here’s why. Every painter drips and splatters paint. If someone tells you they don’t, they are lying to you. We have a combined 50+ years of experience and we still drip paint off the end of a brush or roller. Tape and paper over your baseboards keeps your mind focused on your painting work because you’re not worried about drips and splatters.
3” Brushes: Most of my DIY friends are going to grab a 2” brush. Why? It looks much less intimidating than the big, bad 3”. The problem is that a 2” brush really doesn’t hold much paint. You will find yourself re-dipping that brush every three feet. This will, in fact, affect the line you’re attempting to cut. Every time you break off your line, you have to meet it again the next time you dip. The less you dip, the longer your line and the better chance you have of keeping that thing straight. And that’s what we are all here for!
14” or 18” Rollers: This is along the same lines as the 3” brushes. It’s more paint on and quicker. The less times you have to dip a roller, the less chance you have of mistakes being made. Also, you will get done much quicker.
Sand between coats: I would recommend a pole sander over a sanding sponge. Sanding before each coat knocks all the little nubs off the wall and opens up the wall for the paint to grab a bit better. Sanding lays the groundwork for the paint and will overall lead to a better finished product.
De-lint your roller and strain the paint: This piggybacks off the previous tip of sanding. To de-lint a roller all you need to do is wrap it in painter’s tape and then pull the tape back off. This will get most of the stray hairs off the roller that would otherwise end up on your freshly painted wall. Sanding between coats will also take care of the strays that avoid the tape. Finally, use a strainer to strain your paint into the bucket. Most paint cans sit in a warehouse that is not temperature controlled for months at a time. The hot/cold can cause paint to coagulate and creates little “boogers” (as we call them) in the cans. Straining the paint squishes them and leaves you with a smooth product to put on the wall. Trust me, you don’t want to be picking these little guys off the wall after you’ve rolled a coat.
There you have it! Five tips for you to get your walls looking great in a more efficient way. Happy DIY-ing!
