March 29, 2011

How to paint a room. . . . .






Many times I am able to completely paint a room in about a day.....people often ask me how I do it, so here are some of my tips.....



Tip #1:  Painter's Tape

Take the time to tape.....really, it takes less than 30 minutes to tape off your baseboards and cabinets or trim....


When I first started to paint, I also would tape my ceilings....tape is what gives you that gorgeous finished line.....in my kitchen project, I have painted so many colors on the wall that I needed to use a small watercolor brush to paint my finish line on the ceiling....so I skipped the tape.

Truly....tape makes painting "mistake-proof  (Unless, of course, you happen to drop a gallon of dark brown paint on your cream carpet.......tape doesn't help that! )


Tip #2:  Use an edger

An edger makes life so easy!  I usually do one wall at a time and I begin by edging.  I usually work left to right.....I'll edge an area and then I will roll it right away while it's still wet. 



Edging and then rolling eliminates lines left in the paint from the edger.  (Just always make sure that the wheels on the edger are free from paint....I carry a damp paper towel with me so that I can keep wiping them off.)



Wow....look at that gap in the molding....never noticed that!  And that was done by a professional builder!!  I guess that my cuts aren't all that bad!


Tip #3:  Don't clean your brushes

Instead of washing your brushes every time you finish painting, you can put the brushes on the tray and put the entire tray into a garbage bag.  Just seal it with a twistee.



Usually, by the time I work my way around the room, I will come back to the start of my "circle" and my paint will be dry enough for the second coat! 


(Because usually....hours will have elapsed because of all of my "interruptions" to make lunch, do laundry, answer a millions questions......you get the picture!)

The "big reveal" is coming Friday.....that is if I get myself motivated to "stage" my kitchen for photos....right now there are legos, art projects, ear buds and other miscellaneous things that just do not contribute to a pretty picture!  Whatever you see in the photos will not reflect my true life at all!


Happy painting!  You can find Behr products HERE at a discount.



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Domestically Speaking

12 comments:

Jen said...

Love the color! Right now in my kitchen, the real life is definitely legos, crumbs, matchbox cars, dinosaurs, notepads, etc.~ gotta love it!!!!! :-)

Danielle said...

Thanks for the tips! I need to repaint my entire downstairs in the next few weeks.

Unknown said...

I really love this color.

Since we rent we live with white. But over the years, the hubby and teen have had their experience with repainting the walls.

My husband used to work at a paint store and was able to put those skills to use years later!

Anonymous said...

An easy clean up tip: line the paint tray with Press and Seal (that special plastic wrap from the kitchen) When you are done just throw the plastic wrap away and your paint tray is nearly clean!
Jen M.

Anonymous said...

What is the color of paint you used?

Nicole@Thrifty Decorating said...

Thanks...I stood at the Home Depot paint counter forever waffling on color....it's called Restful by Behr. I'll post the specific info on Friday with my reveal....when I first got it home I was really nervous because it looked like baby food peas!!! :)

Nicole said...

Great pointers! Love the color too. So do you recommend tearing the tape off while its wet or completely dry?

Unknown said...

Great tips! Can't wait to see the whole room, that color is fantastic!

Do you prefer the paint/primer in one?

An Oasis in the Desert said...

Very helpful tips! Thanks for sharing, & I can't wait to see your room reveal. I'm a new follower & would love to have you follow back.
CAS

Anonymous said...

Well, have to say I have been painting the correct and speeding way all along. When I saw your post I started to question if I paint efficiently enough. Glad I can check that off! Thanks for sharing.
Jenny M.

Anonymous said...

To fix that wood miter put some paintable caulk on your finger and go over the gap.( wipe edges with one of your wet paper towels) It may take a few times to fill in the gap if it is large. Then touch up with trim paint

Knitted_in_the_Womb said...

Did you know that Steve started a painting business 5 years ago?

He would tell you that if you get a good brush, a lot of taping off is unnecessary. Taping baseboards is good because the roller will splatter paint, but other than that, Steve uses a 2" wide Purdy angle cut brush to cut in, and he can get an amazing straight edge--even around cabinets. He finds keeping the rollers on an "edger" clean more trouble than it is worth, so quit using them pretty quickly.

Of course now if only I could get him to paint around OUR house...LOL!

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