Interior Painting Tips & Tricks
Making your interior look better using paint is easier than ever thanks to various sizes of rollers, brushes and pads. Decorative paint jobs are no longer the domain of professionals with effects tools like combs, rockers, sponges and stippling brushes. Tips, hints and advice, such as setting the thermostat between 70 and 72 degrees to reach the ideal temperature for painting the inside of your home, can make painting your interior easier and fun. Does this Spark an idea?
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Storing Tools
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A large room can take some time to finish even with the best in tools. Painting is usually best done without breaks, but if you absolutely cannot avoid it, store your tools in plain plastic wrap like you would use to store leftover food in the fridge. “The Complete Book of Home Improvement” guarantees that you can take a two-day break using this storage process and come right back to the point where you stopped.
Painting Over Wallpaper
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Think twice before painting over wallpaper. While you may get plenty of advice informing you that it is perfectly fine to paint over wallpaper, be aware that patterns and seam lines can occasionally show through paint. Even worse, some paints can cause wallpaper paint to eventually deteriorate to the point that the paper begins to peel away from the wall or bubble up beneath the wallpaper surface.
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Paint Can Dripping
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If you are going to be painting directly out of a paint can rather than using a tray, glue a paper plate to the bottom of the can. The plate will act as a drip cloth and easily move with you each time you move the can.
Paint Windows First
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If you plan on painting windows, set aside time early in the day. Placing windows at the top of your interior painting plan will ensure enough time for the paint to dry. This will allow you to secure the windows when you go to bed.
Gilding Your Molding
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A subtle but effective ornamentation is to provide gilding to your molding, and the authors of “Decorating Hints and Tips” offer excellent advice on achieving this golden touch. Tape two small blocks of wood together so that you create an edge between them that fits around the molding. On the piece of wood that lies flat against the molding rather than against the wall, tape a gold outlining pen. The blocks serve to steady your hand so that you can trace a straight line down the edge of the molding to give it that gilded look.
Protecting Fittings
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An unsteady hand can get even more nervous around that shiny door hinge. Protect door hinges and any other fittings by applying a coat of Vaseline. According to the editors of “How to Decorate” this little trick will keep your fittings and fasteners from being touched with paint.
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References
- Photo Credit brush in paint image by Vladislav Gajic from Fotolia.com
