Professional Painting Tips
Posted Jun 06, 2006
- Clean and prime any bare surfaces with an appropriate primer (such as an oil based paint for wood) - it will make the paint on top last longer.
- Wrap brushes or rollers in cling-film or cellophane if you're taking a break for lunch; it will stop them from drying out if you take a little longer than expected.
- Before using a dry brush or roller with water-based paint, dampen the brush with a little water and it will go on a lot smoother.
- Oil based gloss paints are a pain to wash off your hands, a pair of rubber gloves can save you a lot of scrubbing.
- Don't worry too much if you drip paint on windows or tiles, you can easily remove it using a sharp blade or chisel without damaging the surface.
- Higher quality paints will cover in fewer coats and resist cleaning and general wear and tear - it's often false economy to use cheap paint.
- Although masking tape might seem like a good idea, it can tear existing paint finishes and cause more problems than it's worth - with a bit of care and practice around edges you can do a very good job just using a brush.
