How to Make Painting in House Easier

Most people dread having to paint the interior of their homes. However, painting does not have to be such a dreaded task. There are several small things you can do before you paint, while you are painting, and during the clean up process after you paint much simpler. Following a few simple steps can make your painting experience stress-free.

• Make cleaning your paint brushes much simpler by sloshing it in whatever solvent you plan to use at the end of the day before you begin painting.


• If you plan to paint again in a few days, and want to save the time of cleaning your brush, you can wrap it in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer.


• Keep your hands clean by wearing latex gloves. If you don't feel comfortable wearing the gloves or are allergic to latex, cover your hands in a thick layer of lotion. It will help the paint to come off easier.


• Painting over drying paint is what causes overlap marks so always keep an edge of your paint wet and work away from the edge.


• You can test to see if the wall's existing surface will take paint, as well as hold it for years, by adhering a strip of duct tape to the wall and then ripping it away. If flakes of paint come off you will need to scrape and sand the wall before painting it.


• Use low-stick masking tape, also called blue tape, instead of the old-style beige masking tape. The low-stick tape comes off easier and will not pull off the primer or existing paint.


• Follow this process for painting:
  
  
  
  1. Ceilings
  
  
  2. Walls
  
  
  3. Trim
  
  
  4. Cabinets
  
  
  5. Doors
  
  


• Always paint from top to bottom.