Guest Post: Top 10 Painting Tips

My brother, Adam, is a great resource when it comes to painting. He has been a hired painter and has also worked at Sherwin Williams. Talk about a professional! Whenever I have painting projects, I call him for advice (or to lament about painting the trim). I am definitely a novice painter and have a lot to learn in this department. Adam is here to share his Top 10 Painting Tips:

 

1. The Painters best resource is a wet rag.

2. Don’t try to get the most paint out of the roller as you can. If you have to press on the roller you don’t have enough paint on it.

3. Use Tape, but don’t depend on it. When doing your edges use tape if you’re not sure of how steady your hand is but don’t glob the paint on the tape and expect it to prevent the paint from bleeding behind it.

4. You pay for what you get. Yes going and grabbing the 10 dollar gal of paint and the 5 dollar thirty pack of rollers is cheaper but even professionals have a hard time making that stuff look good, why make it harder on yourself.

5. Keep your edges wet. (If Painting from left to right) I don’t care how slow of a painter you are, as long as all of the paint furthest to the right side of your wall is wet, it won’t matter. Problems occur when one part of your wall dries faster then another and then you paint back over it. Like when you do all of your edges first and then come back and roll. Just do a little section at a time.

6. Edgers are usually more trouble then they are worth. Paint does and usually will get everywhere (This even happens with professionals). So what makes people think that paint won’t get on the edge of their tool and then what good is it doing? If you do use them, just make sure to keep your edges clean and that paint is only going on the edger pad.

7. A good brush is worth its weight in gold. Not only does it make a difference in how easy it is to do your edges but good brushes hold more paint, and mean fewer trips to your bucket.

8. When doing drywall patches, less is more. Great dry wallers rarely sand. It’s a lot easier to put on another coat of drywall mud then it is to fix a splotch of it that has already been painted over. Also use a sanding block or sand paper and fade in the edges of your patch so that there is a transition from the wall to your new patch. Once you are happy with it, take a brush full of paint and cover over the patch before you start painting, and then by the time you get there it will have dried and will blend in a lot better with the rest of your wall.

9. As one of my old bosses would say “Put the paint on the wall like your daddy owned the paint store”. You don’t want to put the paint on to thin or it won’t cover and then either it will need another coat or you will just have walls with the previous color showing through a little bit. Put the paint on as thick as you can without it running (which you should be looking for while you are working). Buying more expensive paint usually helps with this as it is not as runny.

10. When painting dark colors, or when doing a significant color change, use primer, and have the paint store tint it gray. Black reflects less color, so you see fewer issues. Primers help the next coat bond to the wall and help prevent paint from running. Paints are meant to form a protective and smooth surface. Yes you can buy paint and primer in one, but in my experience they both end up doing a little less then what they do on their own.

Edging tip: run out a section about 3 to 4 feet about 3 inches from the edge you’re trying to paint. You don’t have to be neat you’re going to be rolling over this later, so just glob it on. Once this is done take a good brush full of paint and start back at the beginning of the area you are painting. This time start about ½ and inch away from your edge and then start working your brush into the wall a little bit so the brush fans out some, and then just start moving your brush up to your edge. Take it slow and allow the brush to find a groove in your wall or door (There usually is one) and drag it down your wall until the brush starts running out of paint, and start all over again, doing the same thing until your area is all edged in.



Here's a little bonus tip that I found on Pinterest:

Image from here

That's right, stretch a rubber band around a paint can to help wipe the brush. It keeps the side from getting gooped up with paint. Also, you can put a small nail hole in the rim of the paint can to help the paint drip back into the can after you pour it. I hope these tips help as you embark on your painting projects! Thanks for the great advice Adam!