1. Use a Tack Cloth

Virginia, of the LiveLoveDIY blog, shared her painting secrets with us and I’m glad she did. She tells us that a tack cloth is the solution for wiping off the bits of fuzz and dust on furniture or wooden trim that you’ve just sanded. It’s a sticky rag, but doesn’t leave sticky on the surface you’re painting. I want one of these to use the next time I paint. I know what it’s like see a piece of fuzz or dust on what you think you’ve finished painting and to have to go back and repaint.

2. Save Time with Artist Brushes

I really wish I’d thought of this! Using smaller brushes to paint around door knobs, electrical outlet plates, and light switch plates will save so much time and you do not have to tape around these things. I always remove the outlet and light switch plates, but forgetting where I put them or losing the screws is always a possibility. I’m definitely trying the artist brushes next time.

3. Never Clean a Paint Tray Again

Aluminum Foil. Yes, simply line the paint tray with aluminum foil and never clean a tray again. Imagine how much money this will save over time!

4. Paint Pour Lids

I’ve never seen these, but I will use them from now on. I will start off neatly pouring the paint into the tray, but the handle will get flipped over to where the paint has ran down the can or I’ll end up making some sort of mess while pouring. These lids are also airtight so your paint lasts much longer.

5. All Natural Paint Brush Cleaner

Vinegar has more uses than I could ever imagine! For slightly dirty brushes use ½ vinegar and ½ hot tap water in a bowl and let them soak for about 30 minutes. For a brush with dried paint on it, put your brush in a small pot and cover the bristles with vinegar. Bring the vinegar to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool before removing the brush. Once it’s cool, wash it with water and you should be able to clean all the paint from the brush easily.

6. Oil-Based Paint and Your Brushes

The vinegar will not work well on brushes used with oil-based paints. Virginia recommends mineral spirits for cleaning your brushes.

7. Choosing the Correct Paint Finish

If you’ve ever wondered what paint finish to use on what surface, Virginia sums it up quite simply:

Flat paint: use for walls in living rooms, bedrooms, ceilings, or furniture
Eggshell: use for walls in hallways, dining rooms, kitchens
Satin: use for walls in bathrooms, or furniture

8. Prime before Painting Wood

Furniture needs to be sanded before you paint. So that you don’t have to sand quite so much, use a primer. It will make your paint adhere much better so there is no peeling once it dries. You can even skip the sanding when using primer, but it is always best to sand first.

9. After You’ve Painted

This is the best idea yet. Make a paint chip key ring to carry with you when shopping for fabric, furniture, pillows, and accessories. Put simply, you use a 1-1/2 inch split key ring and enough 1-1/4 paper key rings for every paint color you’ve used. Either paint each paper key ring with a spot of each paint color or you can use the paint samples from the hardware store and cut out a swatch to tape to the paper key ring. Label the back of the tag with the name of the color and what room you used it in. Put them all on the larger key ring and you’ll have all of your paint colors, compact and in one place for easy reference.

I know not everyone likes to paint, but I believe these tips can really make it much easier for you once you decide to tackle a paint project. In fact, I challenge you to go ahead and get that bedroom painted and let me know which of these tips helped you the most!

Source: livelovediy.com, livelovediy.com