- Be sure that any patch work is completely dry before painting.
- Latex dries one to two shades darker (depending on the base of the paint used) and Alkyd paints dry half to one shade darker than the shade you see when paint is first applied.
- When you want to see what a paint color will look like when it’s dry, stroke it with a brush across a clean white blotter. The blotter will quickly absorb the oils, leaving the paint the same color it will be when it dries on the wall.
- When you need a primer coat (usually white) and you’ve chosen a dark finish color, add a bit of the finish paint to the primer. The final coat will cover much better.
- Even if you buy a standard color, ask your paint dealer to shake the cans on his automatic mixing machine. It’ll reduce the amount you have to stir.
- White paint won’t yellow if you stir a drop of black paint into the can.
- To touch up tiny spots use a Q-tip instead of a brush; you won’t waste paint and you won’t have to clean a brush.
- If you want to paint a window frame and have no masking tape, use strips of newspaper dampened so that they will stick to the panes. Peel off the paper as you finish each frame.
- Protect door knobs when painting a door by wrapping the knob with aluminum foil or by slipping plastic sandwich bags over them.
- Most baseboards have been accidentally waxed many times. Before they can be repainted, the wax has to come off. Scrub the baseboard with ammonia solution, then lightly sand it so that the new paint, which is really going to take a licking, will stick.
- For an unusual rustic effect, try this wall treatment:
Use wall board compound (found at Cole Hardware) and mix some common dried grasses or hay into the compound. Using a wide putty knife or a spreader, spread this mixture on your wall- as thick or as thin as you prefer to get the desired effect. This works great on walls that have blemishes, perhaps from an old wallpaper or paint buildup.
- Try sponge-painting one or more walls for a dramatic, inexpensive wall treatment. Apply a base coat of your main colors, allow to dry. Working a small section at a time, apply accent color with a sponge. Experiment on a piece of scrap wood, wallboard or cardboard first to decide on your desired effect.
- The next time you repaint a door, first sand the edges well. Otherwise the added layer of paint may make the door stick in the frame after the paint dries.
- To paint behind heavy objects you can’t move or don’t want to move, like a piano or a refrigerator; staple a section of plastic sponge onto the end of a yardstick or a thin wooden lath. The sponge can hold paint without dripping and will coat the surface behind the object with a nice smooth finish.
- Paint ceilings before the walls. To prevent one section from drying before you paint the next, work across the width rather than the length, in slightly overlapping strips about 2 feet wide.
- If you use a paint brush to paint ceilings, shove the handle through a paper plate to cut down on paint falling on your head or running down your arm.
- What not to do when painting:
- Don’t apply a second coat of paint before the first one has dried or you’ll end up with an “alligatoring” wall that looks like it sounds.
- Don’t apply paint over a greasy, dirty, or damp surface or it will peel.
- Don’t apply a paint too thickly or it will wrinkle when it dries.
- Don’t go over paint that's dry--it will leave a defect.
- When painting in corners, stroke with the flat part of the brush. Painting with the sides causes fingering and a less neat job.
- To cut the smell when you’re decorating with oil-based paint, stir a spoonful of vanilla extract into the can of paint.
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