Lots of homeowners possess standard painting preparation. They know that it's important to use drop cloths, painters tape and stir paint thoroughly. However did you understand that a golf ball can help preserve paint quality, or that microwaving paint tape can make it more manageable?
With a lot of DIY painting tasks, understanding a couple of extra painting methods can cause the most satisfying results. Keeping paint correctly and utilizing the right tools can guarantee that you avoid blemishes and cover surface areas uniformly.
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 sell, altering your design or doing some regular home maintenance.
1. Don't let your paint dry
A half-empty can of paint will dry out. Drop golf balls into the paint can to fill the air area, or place cling wrap under the cover, seal it firmly and store the paint upside down.
2. Use the ideal guide
If you're painting brand-new drywall, use 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, go with an oil-based primer.
3. Avoid lap marks
To avoid stripes triggered by rolling over paint that's already beginning to dry, keep a wet edge by painting the complete height of the wall and after that moving over slightly so you can overlap the last stroke with the next.
4. Stir paint with a modified stirrer
Before you stir paint, drill holes in the stirrer to help mix the paint better. The holes help the paint circulation through the stirrer, aerating it like a whisk and blending the paint uniformly.
5. Include 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 product covering the roller, and longer naps create more stippling on your wall due to the fact that of the way their fibers disperse the paint. Use a shorter-nap roller-- between 1/4" and 1/2" nap-- for the smoothest surface.
6. Don't wash your brushes or rollers
If you're using latex paint, there's no factor to clean your brushes or rollers if you do not finish your project in one day. Because cold temperatures keep latex paint from drying rapidly, you can just wrap your rollers or brushes in plastic bags or tin foil and put them in the refrigerator. (Make certain to let them completely warm back up before utilizing them.).
7. Deal with issue tape.
If you're using older tape, often it can be difficult to peel its roll without tearing or sticking. If your painter's tape continues to peel, microwave the whole roll for 10 seconds.
8. Figure out the type of paint 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 painting outside of house colours over an oil-based paint and will wish to utilize an oil-based guide prior to painting.
9. Buy a paint pen.
Buy 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 once filled; simply remember to shake them well prior to use to ensure the paint comes out smoothly and uniformly.