PAINT TIPS

Quick tips for painting your home or office

It's all in the rhythm and flow

Rolling interior paint on a wall is easy once you get into a rhythm. The most important tip to remember about applying paint with a roller is to spread it evenly. Our paint goes on in one coat in most cases. A slightly rolled second coat will ensure that the paint gets applied evenly as the color deepens, and you achieve the proper depth of the product on the wall.

Like putting lip-liner on before you fill your lips

You don't want thick and thin spots on your wall. Keep light pressure on your roller and blend your strokes while they are wet. When you start rolling your walls, you can do it a couple of different ways. First, brush your room's corners, where one wall meets another. After that, use your edger or brush where walls meet the ceiling.

Tools you may need to get the job done

Depending on the condition of your walls and the extent of your do-over, you may want to collect the following before you begin your prep work:

• Trisodium phosphate (TSP) or substitute (to clean dirty surfaces)
• Appropriate chemical resistant gloves
• A painter's hat, goggles, dust masks
• Vacuum with brush attachment
• Cloth or plastic drop cloths
• Painter's tape (narrow and wide)
• Plastic bags (large and small)
• Newspapers
• Paintbrushes, at least one of each of the following: 1", 2-3", 4-5"
• Rollers and roller covers in widths and fabrics for the surface and finish you choose
• Paint trays and liners
• Extension poles and/or a stepladder
• Buckets, cans and jars
• Stir sticks

For patching imperfect walls before you paint, you may need:

• Lightweight patching compound
• Wide-blade scraper
• Putty knife
• Edge pads
• Sponge mop
• Sandpaper – medium and fine grit
• Sand-sponge for trim and molding

The main event: applying, drying and cleaning up

Before you open your paint:

1. Make sure you prepare for your interior paint project ahead to time. Dust your walls if you need to, especially after a remodel or during the summer when fresh air and pollen have come into the house. If you have pets that shed, make sure any loose hairs or hair balls are removed from the floor and corners, so they don't accidentally end up on the walls or on your brush. Put the little darlings away so they don't step in your paint tray, or brush against the wall you just painted.
2. Remove outlet covers. If you don't have the time to do that, don’t worry. You can also tape and/or paint around the switch plates and use a dry rag right away to wipe off any smudges. Don't use a wet rag.
3. Fold a paint tarp to create a 2' runner that you can place next to the wall and underneath your feet. If you want to secure it in place, you can tape it down to the carpet or wood floors with blue tape.
4. For added convenience, find a small table, cover it with newspaper, and put your roller tray on in it. If it's on the floor, you might step on it; besides, who wants to bend over every time you need to refresh your roller?

You're ready to begin painting:

1. Position yourself near a corner, where two walls meet, if the area you are painting has them. Dip your brushes and rollers in the paint tray—never put them directly into the can. This limits any contamination that could later cause the paint to go bad once it is resealed.
2. Begin painting by brushing into the corner; you may want to consider an "edger" for those areas where walls meet each other (including the ceiling line). An edger is a pad with rollers—versus a bristle brush-that rolls paint along a wall in a straight line. They are a great way to "cheat" and have a clean line between colors, especially if you don't have a steady hand. You can adjust the pad to get really close to the edge; it's thin enough to roll along molding. Gretchen often uses an edger, and then goes back with a fine brush if she feels it needs it.
3. When you are ready to switch to a roller, fill the reservoir of your paint tray with paint. There definitely is a "best way" to pour paint into a tray or bucket: Tilt the bottom of the can towards you, slowly, and the paint flow will become thinner. Continue to slowly tilt the can until the flow is so thin you can quickly stop it. Wipe the rim of the can after you pour right away. You can also buy a plastic clip-on "lip" at the paint store. Dip in your roller and roll it to remove excess paint on the tray. Applying interior paint is easy, if you get into a rhythm. (See tips on how to make painting fun.)
   
   When you start rolling your walls, use angled strokes, layering each stroke over the next. Start with one wall and finish it, then move onto the next. If you get paint on your ceiling, wipe it off immediately with a wet rag. If you are painting the ceiling, use an extension pole. Make sure you cover the area underneath with a painting tarp. Wear a hat. Make sure the ceiling has been previously painted or properly primed; otherwise, the paint can suck right into the ceiling and cause you to apply another coat. Our paint will go on in one coat in most cases.
   
   Here's a tip for applying interior paint over a previously painted wall: A matte finish or low-sheen paint can go over a low sheen, but make sure you do not paint a matte finish or low sheen over a high sheen finish. If the walls have a gloss finish that looks "wet," you will have to sand the wall lightly or use a de-glosser, which you can find at any hardware store. Water-based paint should not go over walls that were previously painted with oil-based paint. Kitchens and bathrooms in older homes were often painted with oil-based paint. Please note that acrylic paints (all Devine Finishes are acrylic) cannot go over oil-based paint, without first being primed.

Clean up and close the lid

Almost done, but not quite? Cover your brushes, edgers and rollers in plastic wrap as air-tight as possible, to keep them wet. Cover the tray as well.

All done? Pour the leftover paint back into the can. When you are ready to wash your paint tools, squeeze the roller, brush and edger to release excess paint. An eco-friendly way to reduce your water usage water is to soak the paint tools in a bucket first and then get as much paint to dissolve as possible. The important cleaning tip for brushes is to pour water inside the metal wrap. This is where the brush bristles meet the handle, and paint seeps in while you paint. If you don't clean it, the paint will harden and the brush will not pick up the paint as smoothly in the future.