I love paint! It is the easiest way to make a big impact. You can use it to transform an entire room or an accent wall. It’s inexpensive and you don’t need a lot of skill. I’ve painted countless rooms and below is a collection of my top painting tips. You can do an entire room or a fun accent wall like my rainbow murall.
My 7 Best Painting Tips
- Paint finish matters. There are all types of paint sheens from matte (which does not reflect light at all) to high gloss (very light reflective). Matte paints are harder to clean and show more fingerprints, whereas shinier paint finishes are easier to clean.
- Always get samples and paint large squares on the wall. A lot of stores sell a small can of sample paint for under $10. It’s worth it to get the peace of mind! Look at them in different lighting – daylight, evening, with lights on. If you’re painting an accent wall with a window on it, that paint will appear darker on the wall. Keep that in mind when picking paint.
- Prep your walls. Look at your walls and determine what’s required. Look for:
- Patching holes – Make sure to take the time to use a drywall filler for small holes and a patch kit for larger holes
- Primer – If the walls are not white, like a darker colour and being changed, be sure to use a primer. It will help the new colour stick to the wall so you don’t have to do many coats! You can even get tinted primer to help speed up the process
- Wipe down your baseboards before you start. If you don’t, the dust will stick to your brush and clump the paint on the wall. I use a baby wipe.
- Use the right sized roller. An 18″ roller can speed up the process but it can be heavier and requires a bit of coordination. an 18″ roller is great if your painting a room with large walls, and without many doors/windows. A standard 9″ roller can do the same job, but may take longer.
- Size is important, but so is the texture of the paint roller. To paint furniture, use a foam roller. A foam roller goes on evenly and leaves no texture behind.
- Size is important, but so is the texture of the paint roller. To paint furniture, use a foam roller. A foam roller goes on evenly and leaves no texture behind.
- If you’re a beginner, use a good quality painter’s tape. My go-to is frog tape. Even if you use painters tape, you might get a few bleeds. That’s okay! Just go in with a craft brush and touch it up. I used to think that using tape meant that the seams would be perfect, but that isn’t the case. I always expect to do a few touch ups.
- Protect your floors. Use drop clothes that have a plastic coating. I’ve used regular sheets and the paint will seep right through on to your lovely carpets.
- If you’re experienced, start by cutting in the edges, then roll (use a larger roller for large rooms). Woolster angled brushes are my favourite angled brush for cutting in. Cutting saves time but it definitely takes a steady hand and practice. If you’re finding it’s too messy, tape your wall.
- Make clean up easier.
- Wash your brushes and rollers immediately after use. If the paint dries on, it’s extremely difficult to remove. I can’t believe the number of times I hear people throwing away their painting tools. That’s like throwing money int he garbage and so bad for the environment!
- If you’re going to finish painting another day, wrap your brush and roller with foil/ seran wrap and put them in the fridge. Just make sure they are air tight. I’ve even kept mine in the fridge for months!
Go on! Be brave! Have fun with paint. Be sure to share your projects with me on instagram.