Growing up, my sweet Mom would let my Siblings and I paint our own rooms however we wished. Bless her heart. Looking back now, I’m sure we picked some pretty funky colors for a bedroom. But at the time, we thought it was the greatest thing ever.
I’m pretty sure my parents house has at least 6+ layers of different colors of paint on those bedroom walls.
During these years of painting, I have learned some DOs and Don’ts.
I have defiantly done my share of the don’ts! so I thought I would spare you and share some – hopefully “helpful” tips.
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#1. When you are picking out your paint color, make sure you see it on the wall both in the day and in the night. You can just tape the color sample up on the wall or buy a 8oz paint sample. Either way, make sure you get to see the color in the different lighting and that you like it.
#2. Spend more money on better quality paint. Trust me. It will save you time and work by not having to do as many coats. ( I prefer to use a Satin finish paint. It’s not too shiny and not too flat.)
#3. Take time to prep. If you take the time to prep this will save you a lot of mess and time in the end. Trust me on this one. Wipe down the walls, remove and screws or nails our of the walls, take off all the outlet and switch plates, patch any holes you don’t want and tape off any areas you don’t want paint getting onto.
#4. Wear comfy painting clothes. You’re about to get yourself into quick the project, so you might as well be comfy along the way, right?.
#5. Do all the edging first before you start the rolling process. I wish I would have heard about these paint edgers years ago. They are seriously amazing for going around door frames and baseboards. I highly recommend them 10x over. (I use a paintbrush to spread the paint on the edger to get an even coat.)
#6. Use tray liners! They make clean up so much faster. Pay that extra 78 cents and make your life easier.
#7. Don’t, I repeat, don’t! paint over outlet sockets or outlet plates! Come guys, that just looks tacky. If someone before you painted them, you can just replace them with new ones. They’re not that expensive to buy.
#8. Use a 3/8″ nap roller cover. It provides the best coverage for most interior walls.
#9. Don’t try and rinse out the roller cover when you’re done with it. This takes for days and it’s hard to really get all of the color out. Just go buy a new one if you need to paint a different color. Usually I’m all about pinching your pennies, but on this one, I say it’s not worth your time.
#10. When you are painting door frames and baseboards, try and us a hi gloss or semi-gloss paint. They are the easiest to wipe down dirt and scuff marks.
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Happy Painting!
xoXox
