Painting Tips & Tricks

The first step to painting like a professional is to prepare the walls. Clean and primed walls will ensure that the final paint job is even and streak-free.

• Clean all the walls and surfaces you plan to paint. Wipe the walls down using a soft cloth and a mixture of warm water and trisodium phosphate (TSP). Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for the appropriate ratio of TSP-to-water. With a separate cloth and fresh water, wipe down the walls again and allow them to dry thoroughly.
• Borax can serve as an alternative to TSP. Combine a 1/4-cup of borax with 5-gallons of cool water. Thoroughly wipe down the walls using the mixture and a soft cloth or sponge. Rinse the walls with clean water and allow to air-dry.
• Seal any holes and even out low spots on the wall using putty. Sand down high spots.
• Use tack cloths to remove any dust, dirt or lint left on walls and surfaces from sanding and prep work. This will ensure a smoother finish.
• A scraper tool can remove a popcorn finish from your ceiling. A smooth ceiling is easier to repaint and modernizes the room.
• Once the walls are clean and dry, follow one of the most important painting tips: apply a primer. Primer will seal the surface material. That way, you won’t need extra layers of paint and any surface blemishes won’t show through. A layer of primer will also disguise joints, seams, patches and new drywall.
• Use an oil-based primer on glossy surfaces. Glossy surfaces are great at repelling dirt and stains, but they also repel the next coat of paint. Using an oil-based primer acts like double-stick tape on these hard-to-paint glossy surfaces.
• Use painter’s tape to line the edges of windows, doors, moulding and the edge where the walls meet the ceiling. The tape will help you create neat, clean lines as you paint.
• Press the painter’s tape into place using a putty knife to ensure paint doesn't bleed through.
• Remove light switch and outlet covers so you don’t have to worry about accidentally painting over them.
• Protect anything you don’t want painted using drop cloths and painter’s tape. Cover doorknobs using small plastic bags that are sealed around the knob with tape or rubber bands.

Ensuring your workspace is well-lit will help you paint opaque, streak-free coats.

• Use daylight bulbs in the room’s light fixtures to better illuminate your workspace. Daylight bulbs emit pure white light that renders colors more accurately.
• When possible, work during the day.
• Let in as much natural light as possible through open windows and adjacent rooms when painting.

For the best results when following these painting tips, take good care of your paint brushes and paint rollers.

• Wash paint roller covers with cool water and a little bit of dish soap before their first use. This will remove any lint or fuzz.
• When taking a break, seal your paint brushes inside a plastic freezer bag and store them in a cool place to prevent drying.
• Conserve water by making an extra pack of roller covers part of your painting kit. They're less expensive than the water used to clean them.
• Clean water-based and latex paints from brushes and rollers using warm, soapy water.
• Clean oil-based paints from brushes and rollers using a paint thinner, followed by a soapy water rinse.
• When cleaning rollers, remove the roller cover from the roller frame immediately after use.
• A brush comb can help remove stubborn paint from brushes, and a putty knife can help remove paint from rollers.
• Allow the brushes and rollers to dry thoroughly before storing them.