My Top 10 Painting Tips for the DIYer
If you are new to DIYing, you are in for a treat! I’m going to share my top tips for painting a room yourself.
When Doug and I bought our first house, we felt so fortunate to finally be homeowners. It was a big deal! The problem was that we couldn’t afford to hire a painter to repaint the house for us. I’ll admit my first few attempts at painting were a little clunky but doing it over and over again helped me to learn what works and what doesn’t. It gave me the experience to really be an expert at painting now. There are jobs I still hire out, but I prefer to do it all by myself. The job that I will always hire out is painting our two-story foyer.
We painted the foyer one time by ourselves and swore we would never do it again. Doug got up on a ladder and did the cutting in (not his forte) and I used an extension rod to roll it. It was a very tough job and we didn’t have the proper equipment to do it safely. Doug is a little crazy though.....I mean adventurous (as a former paratrooper – anyone that can voluntarily jump out of an airplane is beyond adventurous (and a little crazy), in my opinion)! 😂
He got on that ladder and painted the crown molding at our 18 ft ceilings with no rope or safety equipment. Fortunately, no accidents happened but we vowed that we would never do it again.
If you are a new DIYer or a seasoned veteran, I think you’ll find these tips helpful.
Okay, on to the tips!
Angled Brush. First of all, you have to start with the right tools. My number 1 favorite tool is a short handled 2” angled brush. It’s perfect for cutting in around ceilings, trim and baseboards. In fact, with a little practice, you will have the confidence to use the brush without painter's tape. Sometimes the paint drips behind the painter’s tape and then you have a big mess. With the right brush, you can control the brush and get a crisp line. I love the short handle because it’s easier to control and doesn’t make my hand get as tired.
Roller Sleeve. Buy the proper roller sleeve for the job. I always buy the nap that I need for the type of wall I’m painting. As a general rule, the shorter the nap is for smoother surfaces and a longer nap is for rougher surfaces. Pro tip: Before putting your roller sleeve in the paint, wrap it with painter’s tape to remove any fuzz. Nobody wants painted fuzz on their walls, right?
Paint Tray Alternative. Instead of buying a paint tray, I like to just use an aluminum pan as a paint tray. It’s the perfect size for a paint roller and is disposable. It’s also super easy to pour the unused paint back in the paint can at the end of the day. Easy peasy! Pro tip: If you decide that you really want to use a paint tray, cover it with a trash bag and when you are done at the end of the day take off the trash bag with the paint inside, cut a hole in the bag over your paint can and you can save your paint that way.
Press’n Seal. I always keep a roll of Press’n Seal in the room I’m painting in. I wrap my brush in it if I need to take a break. If I have a lot of paint left in my paint tray, I wrap the aluminum pan with Press’n Seal and it will literally stay fresh for days. I also use it to wrap up my paint roller. If it’s going to be a few days before I can get back to my paint job, I wrap the paint roller in Press’n Seal and put it in a ziploc bag and close the gap with painter's tape. I’ve had my paint roller last weeks and as long as a month or more this way.
Paint. Quality of paint matters. I’m a complete paint snob these days. I know paint is expensive, but I think you get what you pay for here. I may love a certain color from another line of paint, but I always go to Benjamin Moore and buy Aura Interior Paint in a Matte finish and have them color match it for me. A Matte finish looks like flat paint, but it is washable and wipeable which is important if you live in a home with kids and pets. I like to save the shine for the trim paint.
Dropcloths. We use plastic dropcloths and then put a canvas dropcloth on top of the plastic. If you don’t want to purchase canvas dropcloths, old sheets do the job too. We’ve used cloth dropcloths and have had the paint leak through. So double layer those dropcloths.
Choosing Paint Color. If you can’t decide on which paint color you want in a room, use a piece of canvas and paint the center of it and leave a border of white so you can see the true color. Otherwise, your current room color may influence the way the new color looks. You can also move the canvas to each wall to get a good sense of the way it looks in different types of light.
Buy Paint Samples. Most paint stores sell small little pints of paint so you can sample the color. Once I’ve narrowed my palette down to just a few colors, I buy samples and paint them straight on each wall and then observe the way the light hits each wall throughout the day.
Patch the Holes. Always patch the holes before painting. I always use Drydex. Once the material is dry it will change from pink to white. I then sand the area.
Primer. Always prime over the holes that you patched. Trust me on this. If you don’t prime, the place that you patched will show through and the wall will look dull there. For a flawless finish, prime those areas.
Some of my favorite tools:
Paint Spray Gun
Wooster Brush
Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra Earbuds
White Vinegar
Sanding Sponge
Mister Rui Foam Paint Roller
Brown Paper Roll
Frog Tape
Brown Kraft Paper
Canvas Drop Cloth
Disposable Aluminum Pans
DryDex Heavyweight Spackling
Kilz Interior Primer
Plastic Painter's Drop Cloth
Paint Samples
Benjamin Moore Paint
Press N Seal
