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PRACTICAL TIPS FOR HOME IMPROVEMENT DIY-ERS AND CRAFT ENTHUSIASTS

Prep for a New Coat of Paint {10 Painting Tips}

Prep for a New Coat of Paint {10 Painting Tips}| Painting Tips, Painting Tips and Tricks, Painting Hacks, How to Prep for a New Coat of Paint, Prepping for a New Coat Of Paint, How to Prep for a New Coat Of Paint, Popular Pin

 

Thinking about changing up a room in your house? A new coat of paint is about the best, least expensive way to makeover a room, and you can do it in a weekend! Before you buy that can of paint, here are the best ways to prep for a new coat of paint. Read on for our 10 best painting tips.

Prep for a New Coat of Paint {10 Painting Tips}| Painting Tips, Painting Tips and Tricks, Painting Hacks, How to Prep for a New Coat of Paint, Prepping for a New Coat Of Paint, How to Prep for a New Coat Of Paint, Popular Pin

Before you buy:

1. Know the size of the room–specifically, how many square feet is it? One gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet, so you’ll want to be sure you get enough.

2. If color is tricky, purchase a small can or even a tester {where available} before buying a full gallon. Paint a piece of foam board or poster board in each of the colors you’re debating about, and move them around the room to see how you like each color. It’s much easier to tell with this homemade swatch than it is with a bitty paint swatch from the store!

3. You can now buy eco-friendly paints with low fumes {VOCs} that are much safer and more user-friendly for the whole family. Just read labels to be sure that’s what you’re buying.

Prep for a New Coat of Paint {10 Painting Tips}| Painting Tips, Painting Tips and Tricks, Painting Hacks, How to Prep for a New Coat of Paint, Prepping for a New Coat Of Paint, How to Prep for a New Coat Of Paint, Popular Pin

Prepping the walls for paint:

4. Before you do anything, lay out a drop cloth to protect floors and any furniture that may still be in the room. Plastic sheeting can be slippery, so a drop cloth is best.

5. Clean walls take paint the best, so make up a solution of water and a little TSP in a bucket. Use a large sponge to thoroughly wash the walls and baseboards. Note that if you don’t have TSP, a little dish soap should do the trick. Use the sponge to rinse the walls with fresh water once they’re clean. Wipe dry or allow them to thoroughly air dry before you proceed.

6. Remove nails from the walls and fill the holes with special nail hole filler or spackle. Once dry, be sure to sand those areas smooth and remove any sanding dust with a damp cloth.

7. Take the time to remove electrical outlet and light switch covers. Then you don’t have to tape them off or worry about having clean lines around them.

Prep for a New Coat of Paint {10 Painting Tips}| Painting Tips, Painting Tips and Tricks, Painting Hacks, How to Prep for a New Coat of Paint, Prepping for a New Coat Of Paint, How to Prep for a New Coat Of Paint, Popular Pin
Other tips:
8. If you’ve got any stained areas that wouldn’t wash off, it is probably worth spot-painting them with primer before you paint with your chosen color {even if your paint contains primer in the mix}. This will prevent any future bleed-through of the stain.
9. Instead of taping, you can buy a good-quality edger relatively inexpensively. Take your time edging the walls and corners, and you’ll still save time {and money} over not having to tape everything.
10. My favorite tip is to wrap your brush and rollers tightly in a plastic grocery bag whenever you need to take a break. You can also slip your brush into a quart-sized Ziploc bag. The paint will stay fresh until you come back to finish your project.

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