Easy House Painting Tips - Newsletter January, 2009

Make Sure You Are Properly Equipped

More Time Saving Tips

1. Make sure you have enough plastic or drop cloths to cover all your flooring and furnishings. Keep all areas covered always. Cover up may take you only 10 or 15 minutes, but clean up can cost you hours.
2. Make sure you have sheet rock mud and sand paper to repair any dinks in the wall. When you apply the sheet rock mud, apply only a very thin layer. A thin layer of mud will help avoid a lumpy look in your walls and it will sand flat very quickly. The biggest mistake most people make is applying way to thick of a coat of sheet rock mud. Thick mud requires a lot of sanding and isn't necessary.
3. Use a quality brush. Cheap brushes do not perform as well as quality designed brushes. They do not spread paint as evenly or cut in corners as accurately, costing you time and quality of work.
4. Keep 2 or 3 roller naps available with a nap thickness of ½ inch to ¾ inches. If you rinse a roller nap after painting the ceiling, you will need a dry nap to roll your walls. Avoid the dirt cheap roller naps. You want be happy with the nap fibers they leave in your freshly painting walls.
5. Be sure and purchase the blue masking tape designed especially for painting. When you are ready to paint your trim you will want to mask off your walls. Apply pressure along the tape line so that it lays completely flat. This will help prevent paint from seeping under the edges of the tape and compromising the straight line. Give your walls a day of dry time before masking. Masking your walls will allow you to create professional straight trim lines.

1. The proper order for painting is to always paint your ceilings first, then your walls, and then lastly, your trim. When you roll your ceilings, it creates a mist that can settle on your walls. In addition, you may drip paint on your walls. It makes sense to paint the ceilings first because you will be covering the drips and mist from the ceiling with wall paint when you paint the walls. The same holds true for the trim. You will drip wall paint on the trim and create a roller mist that will settle on the trim. Painting in the order I have described will save you a lot of time, because you are not having to go back and redo areas that you have messed up.
2. I recommend cleaning your brush after you are through painting for the day. Most non professional painters get a lot of paint all over the handle and bristle retainer. For the protection of the brush against dried paint and for a fresh start with a clean brush on a new day, then clean it. If you are absolutely rushed for time, then place the brush in a plastic bag and freeze it. When you are ready to resume your painting project, take it out of your freezer and let it thaw. A clean dry brush always gives me a mental advantage when tackling an interior painting project. Complement Your Hard Work with Quality Paint Interior painting is hard work, so why cheapen the quality of your hard work by using inferior paint.