10 Great Hacks to Make Painting Simple

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10 Great Hacks to Make Painting Simple

10 Great Hacks to Make Painting Simple

The beginning of June is the best time to refresh a room in your home with a new coat of paint, according to Better Homes and Gardens. It’s late spring, early summer, and you can leave your doors and windows open for ventilation. If you’re not planning on using a professional, however, certain challenges could arise. To make painting simpler, try using these 10 hacks.

1. Prep Your Paint Roller

If you’re using a paint roller, use a lint roller or packaging tape first on it to get any stray fuzz off of it. Then, prep the paint roller with warm water. Paint will stick better to the roller and the walls that way.

Before painting, it's best to use a lint roller and run the roller under warm water

2. No Muss, No Fuss

Is the thought of the clean-up after stressing you out? Don’t let it! Line paint pans with plastic bags or aluminum foil for quick and easy clean-up.

Painting clean-up is easy if you put aluminium foil or a plastic bag over the painting pan

3. Swiffer: Not Just For Floors

Dirt and other things can easily stick to walls. If you don’t clean the walls prior to painting, the job may not turn out as well or as clean as you had hoped. A quick way to clean the walls is using a Swiffer. In some cases, a de-greaser may be needed first.

If you Swiffer your walls before painting, you can remove dirt and grime easily

4. Save Paint to Save Your Walls

Was there a little paint left over from your job? Store it in a Rubbermaid Paint Buddy! It’s no secret paint can scuff and chip. The Paint Buddy can touch up those rough spots for you, without having to worry about storing a paint can in the garage.

Have extra paint left over from painting? Store it in a Rubbermaid Painting Buddy to repair future scuffs and chips

5. Get The Most Coverage

Looking for fuller and more even coverage? After painting the edges of a wall, start painting the main part of the wall in a zig-zag pattern, seen here.

Painting in a zig-zag, W pattern gives you fuller, more even coverage

6. Make Lines Look More A-“Peel”-ing

The masking and painters tape can be a real pain to peel off. Luckily, there are a couple hacks for that. First, don’t wait too long after the paint dries to get the tape off or you run the risk of chipping your fresh paint. If you’re having trouble, you can use a hair dryer to eat up the tape so it peels easier. Also, make sure you peel at a 45 degree angle for sharper lines.

Remove painters tape at a 45 degree angle for better, cleaner lines

7. Give Yourself An Edge Against Messes

Paint dribbles and messy splatter are easily preventable. Cut a coat hanger in half and tape the flat end to the paint can. If that doesn’t work, stretch a rubber band around the paint can. Using the edge of either the hanger or the rubber band, you can wipe excess paint off the brush.

Stop paint splatters with a rubber band or hanger over a paint can

8. Keep The Scent At Bay

Paint fumes can be a real issue for some people. If they are overwhelming, there are two things you can do to combat them. First, when cleaning your brushes, you can leave them soaking in fabric softener. This leaves the brush soft and the smell fresh. Alternatively, you could also stir in a couple drops of vanilla in with your paint.

Soak paint brushes and rollers in fabric softener, or stir vanilla into a paint can, to combat paint fumes

9. Keep The Freshness in Your Brushes

The last thing you want if you’re painting for several days in a row, or waiting for the first coat of paint to dry, is for your brushes to dry out. To prevent this from happening, wrap your brushes and rollers in plastic bags (or empty Pringles cans for paint rollers) with rubber bands and store them in a cool, dry place.

Prevent your brushes from drying out by putting them in plastic bags and sticking them in cool, dry places

10. Chalk It Up to Creativity

Need a little variety in your paint without going crazy? Yarn can be used around a paint brush or roller to add a cool pattern to the wall. You can add flair to a kid’s room by making your own chalkboard paint with a combination of five tablespoons of Plaster of Paris, two cups of paint, and two tablespoons of water.

Putting yarn around a paint roller can add a little flair to your wall painting

Are there any painting hacks that have worked for you that we haven’t mentioned? Share them with us! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Leave us a comment below!