How to Paint a Room: 7 Secrets the Pros Won’t Tell You
A true pro doesn’t give away ALL their secrets, but we appreciate those of you who took the time to read this blog post, so we’ll give away a few proven tips and techniques that we use daily. Some of these “secrets” you might already implement in your painting process, but for those starting out fresh, it’s helpful to know a tip or two that will save you time and money and produce good results. So read on for the Painting 101 cliff notes.
1. Cover Furniture
Don’t spend time moving furniture out of the room. Instead, push all furniture to the center of the room and cover it with plastic. This will protect the furniture from paint drips, overspray, and sanding dust. Because who wants to clean up dust after painting an entire room, right?
2. Take Off Electric Plates
Instead of cutting around electric plates while painting, why not make it easy and take the plates off altogether? You can easily avoid paint marks on the plates and get a clean finish around the edges. Also, don’t forget to save the screws with the corresponding plates so it’s easy to replace them later.
3. Box Paint for Consistent Color
Unfortunately, no two cans of the same color paint are precisely the same color. It varies slightly, so instead of dealing with that predicament when you’re halfway through painting a wall, we suggest mixing cans of paint in a 5-gallon bucket to ensure color consistency. We also like to easily roll out our paint from this bucket.
4. Use a Tinted Primer
You don’t always need to prime walls, but it’s a good idea when you’re painting over a joint compound to keep the paint job looking seamless, and on new construction so the paint has something to adhere to. When priming, we like to tint the primer with a bit of gray paint or the paint we will be using on the finished wall to conceal patched areas better. Doing this will ultimately require fewer coats of paint and provide a smoother finished look overall.
5. Buy the Best Supplies
This is one of those situations where it’s worth buying the best supplies for the job. If you buy a brush with cheap bristles, you’ll get a less-than-admirable streaky paint job.
The key is to purchase the best brushes you can afford, and as long as you clean and maintain them, they will last you a lifetime. Check out this blog post highlighting some of our favorite brushes and rollers from Wooster and Purdy.
6. Buy an Extra Empty Bucket or Two
Ensure you have a couple of extra empty buckets on hand so you can keep the paint fluid and looking fresh. It’s easy for paint to settle, and using a paint stir stick or your brush alone won’t give it the agitation it needs to perform at its best when it's time to go on the wall.
7. Start with a Loaded Brush
Instead of scraping off the paint on the edges of the bucket after dipping your brush, we suggest loading the bottom 1 ½ inch of the brush with paint and tapping the brush on the edge of the bucket to remove any heavy drips. This way, you don’t end up with a dry brush and too little paint, leading to a less-than-effective start.
This is a comprehensive and tried-and-true list to get you started on the right foot with your paint job. If you have any questions or prefer to let the pros use their own trade secrets, reach out to us today for a complimentary quote.