Many house owners have fundamental painting preparation. They know that it's important to utilize drop cloths, painters tape and stir paint thoroughly. However did you understand that a golf ball can help keep paint quality, or that microwaving paint tape can make it more manageable?
With a lot of DIY painting tasks, knowing a few additional painting methods can result in the most gratifying results. Storing paint effectively and utilizing the right tools can ensure that you avoid blemishes and cover surfaces evenly.
These 9 DIY painting ideas can help you enhance the quality of your work and conserve time and money at the same time, whether you're preparing to offer, altering your decoration or doing some routine home maintenance.
1. Don't let your paint dry out
A half-empty can of paint will dry out. Drop golf balls into the paint can to fill the air space, or location plastic wrap under the cover, seal it firmly and save the paint upside down.
2. Utilize the right primer
If you're painting new drywall, utilize a water-based primer to conceal flaws and provide an even base before applying color. If you're painting paneling, water-damaged or smoke-saturated walls, choose an oil-based guide.
3. Avoid lap marks
To avoid stripes brought on by rolling over paint that's already beginning to dry, keep a damp edge by painting the full height of the wall and after that moving over a little so you can overlap the last stroke with the next.
4. Stir paint with a customized stirrer
Before you stir paint, drill holes in the stirrer to assist blend the paint better. The holes assist the paint flow through the stirrer, aerating it like a whisk and mixing the paint equally.
5. Add texture, if you want
If you want more texture on your wall, choose a roller with a longer, 3/4" nap, which holds more paint. The nap is the fabric material covering the roller, and longer naps produce more stippling on your wall because of the method their fibers distribute the paint. Utilize a shorter-nap roller-- in between 1/4" and 1/2" nap-- http://edition.cnn.com/search/?text=Essex Fells painting for the best finish.
6. Do not clean your brushes or rollers
If you're using latex paint, there's no reason to clean your brushes or rollers if you don't finish your job in one day. Because cold temperatures keep latex paint from drying rapidly, you can simply cover your rollers or brushes in plastic bags or tin foil and put them in the refrigerator. (Be sure to let them completely warm back up before utilizing them.).
7. Deal with issue tape.
If you're utilizing older tape, sometimes it can be difficult to peel off its roll without tearing or sticking. If your painter's tape continues to peel, microwave the entire roll for 10 seconds.
8. Figure out the kind of paint Additional hints on existing walls.
Uncertain if a wall's existing paint is oil or latex? Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and rub it in a small area across the wall. If the cotton ball has paint residue, the paint is latex. No paint on the cotton ball? You'll be painting over an oil-based paint and will wish to use an oil-based primer prior to painting.
9. Purchase a paint pen.
Purchase a paint pen that lets you load it with a small bit of your new paint color for little touchups later on. These pens keep the paint inside fresh for about a year as soon as filled; just remember to shake them well before usage to guarantee the paint comes out smoothly and equally.