Painting tricks: follow 18 essential tips you need to learn
Painting day! What do you do? Paint the wall, right? Not so much. The painting process requires some other small details so that the result comes out as expected and also to facilitate this whole process.
We’ll tell you what these painting tricks are right after, come see.
Before you even start painting, you should already pay attention to some important points: the first of them is to prepare the area that will receive paint, in addition to protecting furniture, floors and other surfaces that will not be painted. Here are the main pre-painting tricks:
1- Vaseline
Did you know that Vaseline can be used to protect places you don’t want to paint? This tip is very useful for small regions, such as doorknobs, latches and locks on doors and windows, for example.
Just apply Vaseline in these places and the paint simply does not penetrate the surface, making the subsequent cleaning work much easier, as you just wipe it with a cloth and that’s it.
2- Aluminum foil
Another great ally of painting is aluminum foil. It serves to cover and cover surfaces making cleaning work faster, after all, you will only need to remove the paper and everything will be clean.
Aluminum foil can be placed on doorknobs, locks and even the surface of small furniture.
3- Masking tape
Everyone already knows the usefulness of masking tape when making a painting. The tape isolates the paint from the area you don’t want to paint. It turns out that if it is not placed well the paint can penetrate and end up creating stains in the painting.
To avoid this problem, pass a spatula over the entire length of the tape, pressing gently. That way, the masking tape adheres better to the wall and the paint cannot get through.
4- Cardboard
And to protect the floor from paint? The best option is cardboard. In addition to being an easily found material, it guarantees more stability, as it does not slip like plastic. Another advantage of cardboard is that it is recyclable, so when you finish painting, just send it to recycling.
5- Appointed day and time
Schedule a specific day to do the paint job. It’s more practical, faster and you don’t run the risk of having a stained painting. Ideally, you can do everything on the same day, respecting the pause between coats, of course.
6- Sunny day
Another important thing is to check the weather forecast on the day of the painting. Prefer to perform this type of work on sunny and hot days to facilitate drying. This way you can keep doors and windows open for greater ventilation which, in addition to contributing to faster drying, also prevents the smell of paint from permeating the environment.
7- No smell
And speaking of paint smell, this seventh tip is also important. When preparing the paint for painting, add a few drops of vanilla essence to the can. This will lessen the smell without changing the chemical composition of the paint.
8- Sand and clean
The surfaces that will receive the paint need to be clean, dry and sanded (if necessary) before starting the painting. This simple trick can make all the difference in the final finish.
9- Previous ink
What if the wall or furniture is already painted with another paint? You have to take it off, peel it off, what to do? It is advisable in this case to find out what type of paint was used.
This is because you cannot apply a water-based paint over an oil-based or solvent-based paint, as is the case with varnish and enamel paint, for example. The adhesion will not be as good and the painting result will be compromised.
The best way to find out which paint was used previously is to swipe a cotton swab soaked in alcohol over the surface. If the paint is removed then it is latex type. But if it stays tight and strong, then it’s oil-based paint.
If the paint used previously is different from the one you are going to apply, then it is recommended to sand the surface to remove the paint.
10- Protected tray
Do you want your tray to always be clean and beautiful? In that case, the tip is to line it with aluminum foil.
In addition to keeping the tray longer, you still won’t have to clean it after painting.
It is also common to use plastic bags to make this protection. However, plastic is slippery and can fall out of place.
11- Separate all materials
It may seem kind of obvious to say this, but the truth is that a lot of people end up leaving this step aside.
The result of this forgetting is having to keep running after materials, delaying the entire painting work.
So, make sure you have everything you need in advance.
12- Clean the roller
It’s not just after the painting is finished that you need to clean the roller. It’s important to do this before too. Do you know why? The paint roller usually has loose hairs that can end up sticking to the surface.
To clean the roller before painting, just run masking tape around it. The loose hairs will adhere to the tape and the roll will be clean.
13- Use a rubber band
The trick to not wasting paint, or even running the risk of paint splattering on the floor, is to stretch a rubber band over the can so that you can remove excess paint from the brush. Simple, practical and economical for your pocket.
14- Pay attention to the corners
Larger areas can be easily painted with a roller, but when filling in edges and corners, it is best to use a brush or a small roller.
15- Zigzag
What is the best sense to do a painting? You got it right if you said zig zag. Well, neither vertical nor horizontal. The correct way to unload the paint roller so that the wall is evenly painted is in a zigzag direction.
after everything ready
Painting ready, now just enjoy the result, right? Not yet! Before contemplating your work, it is important to take care of some details. Check out:
16- Stylet
If you’ve chosen to use masking tape to protect areas that shouldn’t be painted, then it’s good to know that it’s not enough to just remove the tape at the end of the painting.
Ideally, wait for the paint to dry completely. Then, with the help of a utility knife, you must draw a line flush with the masking tape. This procedure will help the tape to detach from the paint and come off more easily, without the risk of tearing a piece of the paint along.
17- Cleaning brushes and rollers
Paint rollers and brushes should be kept clean and dry. To do this, dip them in a cup with remover and then wash them under running water. Let it dry.
If the painting takes longer than a day to complete, the trick to keeping the paint from drying on the brush is to store it in the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag.
18- Save everything
Surely in this world this will not be your last painting. Therefore, keep your brushes and painting materials in a dry and ventilated place. There’s even a tip: use a tube of potato chips to store the paint roller. It is protected and fits snugly inside.
