Tips for the painter and the walls

• 1). Painting takes a little advanced planning. Think about your paint choices. When you are ready to begin, be sure to lay out all of your tools on a drop cloth in the center of the room before you start. Everything will be at your finger tips and this will eliminate time consuming trips to the basement, garage, the neighbors or the store. Wear old clothes. No matter how neat you are, at some point, you will get paint on something, and it will probably be you. It is a good idea to put a little hand lotion on before you paint. This helps with removing paint later.
  
  
• 2). Prep the walls the day before you begin your painting. Come back and sand and paint the next day. Sand your patching with a wet sanding sponge or use a damp cloth to wipe the excess off. After sanding use an anti-static mop or anti-static cloth to wipe the walls down. This collects the sanding and other dust before you paint. During your prep, remove all of the electric, cable and phone plates from the walls. Use a cordless screwdriver or drill and place the screws back in where they came from to avoid losing them.
  
  
• 3). There is some dripping or roller splash when you are painting. A great way to handle drips and splashes is to place tape on the floor and under the baseboard. If there is carpet down, use a plastic wallpaper smoother to tuck the tape under the baseboard. When it comes to applying tape to the top of the baseboard, use a putty knife to smooth it down and get a good seal. Then the paint will not leak through.
  
  
• 4
  Stop the drips on the bucket.room painting image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com
  
  Prevent paint from running down the side of the can. Take a good sized nail and pound about four or five holes in the indented area of the rim of your paint can. This way when you scrap brushes across the can or pour paint,etc., the paint will drain back into the can and not run down the outside of the can or stay in the rim area and dry before you can get the lid back on. It saves paint and a mess.
  
  
• 5). Keep things fresh. If you stop for a break or need to finish the job the following day, don't wash your rollers, put them in a plastic zip bag, wrap them in plastic wrap or, even easier, use a tennis ball can or potato chip can. Just slide them in and put the lid on. Use the zip bag for your brushes.
  
  
• 6). Use a synthetic brush and nylon roller cover when using latex paints. Paint on a dry day. If there is a lot of humidity in the air your paint may not dry well. If you have no choice, use a dehumidifier in the room to help dry the paint. Don't cut corners when you paint, just cut where you can to save time and energy.