| Valspar's 15 Painting Mistakes to Avoid |
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Skipping the tape.
Do you have the skills to get straight lines around the woodwork, windowsills and doorframes? Grab the painter’s tape and get the nice, clean edges you want. Painting without primer.
Primer gives paint a good surface to adhere to and brings out the true color of the shade you’ve chosen. Going without it can lead to poor results. Impatience.
You took the time to fix every imperfection with patching compound. Wait. Make sure it’s completely dry before you sand and prime. Otherwise, all that patching was a waste of time. Paint buildup on your edge pad.
When using edge pads around ceiling edges and corners, make sure to wipe off excess paint frequently to avoid marking the surface. 15 Painting Tips from Valspar Brushing when you should be rolling.
For a large interior area, a roller will do a better job in less time. Select the right nap roller for your sheen of paint and try to avoid pushing the roller into the wall when you paint. Underestimating how much paint you'll need.
The pros say you need one gallon for every 400 square feet. Plan ahead and you can avoid running back and forth to the store with a paint swatch in your hand. Assuming your walls are clean.
Paint looks much better when it has a good, clean surface to stick to. Wash your walls before painting and get professional results you can be proud of. Painting when the humidity is high.
When the air is full of moisture, water-based paint takes longer to dry. If the weather winds up more humid than expected, take the day off and wait for a dry day. Skipping the surface prep.
Your new paint won’t stick to glossy, dirty walls that are in bad condition. Take the time to prep, or you’re bound to have problems down the road. Paint brush abuse.
When using latex paint, wet your brush bristles with water and shake the brush dry before you dip it in the paint. The brush will hold more paint and deliver better results. Buying any old paintbrush.
When you’re choosing paintbrushes to use with latex-based paint, nylon/polyester blends produce the best results. Turns out polyester is good for something besides sport shirts. Painting with your furniture.
Getting paint off your furniture is a lot of work. If you can’t move it out of the room, at least make sure it’s completely covered with a drop cloth. Failure to protect the floor.
Paint has the amazing ability to go all the places you’d least expect it to. Before you pop the can open, make sure you have a drop cloth over everything and the edges are taped. Polka dotted doorknobs.
Unless you like the look of splattered paint, we recommend that you slip plastic bags over your doorknobs and tape the edge to avoid unsightly paint splatter. Painting the plates.
Want professional-looking results? Take five minutes to remove the wall plates and tape around your light switches and electrical outlets.
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