10 Painting Tips for Your Next Project

Watch the video to see the tips in action.

All painting projects start with a clean surface. Don't skip this step! This was really important as we were painting the garage that hadn't been cleaned or painted since 1998. There was a lot of dust, dirt, cobwebs, and mud daubers to clean up. We found a Swiffer cleaner work really well.

More cleaning had to happen with the baseboards and moldings. We used a general purpose cleaner and a magic eraser and paper towels to clean up the light dirt. The Dremel Versa battery powered cleaner helped take care of the dirtier areas.

If you have one, use an automotive rolling seat to easily scoot along the baseboards.

The baseboards had never been properly caulked. We caulked the baseboards and repaired caulk in other areas.

If you do a lot of caulking, the Ryobi battery powered caulk gun is the way to go!

Besides cleaning the walls we needed to also patch holes and dents in the walls and ceiling. We took down some old metal shelving which left a lot of holes. Be sure all patched holes are dry, sanded, and free of sanding dust before starting to paint.

Take time to tape off windows and others things you don't want to get paint on. It is a lot easier to cover and protect things from paint than to try to remove splatters after the fact. We like this tape and plastic combo for covering windows and square objects. It comes on a roll with a serrated cutter (like a box of plastic wrap).

Once you're at the store to buy paint, be sure to pick up additional paint supplies like stir sticks, can opener and a pouring lid for the paint can. You can get them for one-gallon cans as well as five-gallon cans. We got one for our five-gallon can which made it much easier and less messy to pour.

We really found that quality brushes and rollers make all the difference in painting. Good brushes and rollers are an investment so be sure to clean them after use.

A great tip if you're painting over the course of a few days and don't want to wash everything is to wrap rollers and brushes in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge. My preference is Glad Press n Seal. (We keep a roll in the garage for this purpose!)

Once your painting project is finished wash everything well with a little water and dishwashing liquid. I like to use blue Dawn.

Brushes that are stiff with caked on paint may need a commercial cleaner which is available at most home improvement stores.

These last two tips are about prepping yourself. We found that paint is easy to wash off if we first use a lotion on our exposed skin.

I have no particular recommendations, but I found a thicker type works best for me.

Lastly, take care of yourself. Wear your painting clothes (yes, I have paint-spattered clothes just for painting). Tie your hair back or wear a hat. If you are working overhead, it is a very good idea to wear safety goggles to keep paint out of your eyes. I learned this one the hard way!

What painting projects are on your to-do list?

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