With two home makeover projects now under my belt (see them here and here), you could say that I’ve done a lotttt of painting over the past few months. Here are some of my tips and tricks:
1. Test with sample paint before buying gallons. If you only take away one tip from this post, let this be the one. You’ll want to leave the sample patches on the wall for a day or two so you can get a sense of how it’ll look in different light during different times of the day. I tested a white that although was bright white in the container and for the swatch, when it dried, it looked purple. Yikes!
2. Take the time to tape. I know, it’s a pain, but you’ll want to really cover all the baseboards and ceiling before starting. If you skip or half-ass this part, your paint will seep under your tape and smear. Trust me on this.
3. Measure and use paint calculators to determine how much paint you’ll need. Sure, you could guess, but it’s better to be safe than to have to run back out to the store, covered in paint, when you didn’t buy enough. You can check these on sites like Lowe’s and Home Depot before heading out to the store.
4. Store your brushes in a ziplock in between coats to prevent them from drying out. This trick is seriously brilliant. If you’re stepping away from painting from a few hours, but will pick up with the same color again, there’s no reason to use a new brush. If you store them in a ziplock, the bristles will stay wet and you can start right where you left off. I did this after maybe 10 hours and it still worked!
5. Have both damp and dry paper towels nearby. Chances are you’re not a pro, so accidents will happen. Just be sure to be prepared so you’re not scrambling around when those inevitable drips happen. Of course, you’ll also want to have wine on hand as well. You deserve a reward when you finish.
Please, if you have any to add, just leave them in the comments below. I still have a few rooms left to go!