I’ve been working on the longest painting project of my life painting my bathroom woodwork.
Between Mr. Hoff’s work schedule, my getting a bout of the stomach flu, and taking care of a toddler, this project is taking for.ever.
And yes, I’d like some cheese with my whine.
While I’ve been painting, I’ve been trying to document the tips and tricks that I’ve found helpful throughout this process.
Let me tell you how it typically goes down. We start painting. I drip paint on floor. I ask Mr. Hoff to hand me the wet rag. We both realize that neither of us thought to get a wet rag. The race is on to get a wet rag before the paint dries.
You might also consider a drop cloth…Mr. Hoff suggested it, but I said, “Meh, we’ll be fine”.
If you are anything like me, and I hope for your sake you are not, your inner monologue goes something like this:
“I should change out of these fairly new, fairly cute clothes before I start painting.”
“Nah, I probably won’t get any paint on myself, I’m really good at being neat and tidy with the paint.”
“Yeah, you always think that, but then ruin your clothes.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
Then I proceed to drip paint all over myself. That, or Mr. Hoff (who is usually directly above me) drips paint on me, and then laughs because I was dumb for not changing my clothes….*sigh*.
I typically don’t buy into all of the “extra” accessories and stuff in the paint aisle, but I was really getting annoyed with how gross the cans of paint get after you pour the paint into your little paint bucket…you know how the paint runs down the side, dries, and gets sticky? The rims of the paint cans get yucky too. This drip guard doesn’t completely get rid excess paint in the rim, but it dramatically improves the paint dripage down the front of the can. It was worth the couple of dollars I spent on it!
This is a tip that I learned from my brother-in-law. This works for paint brushes and rollers alike. Instead of washing out your brush in between coats of paint, wrap it in a plastic bag and stick it in the fridge. When you’re ready for your second coat, just grab your paint brush or roller and it will be ready to go! This tip applies when you’re waiting less than 24 hours in between coats!
What little painting tricks have you learned?
Refridgerating your brush is the best tip out there. I love it. Last time I did that I forgot to get it out and it stayed in there for over a week and the brush was still fine and easy to clean! Great tips! xo Kristin
Hmmm…I’m tempted to go out to the garage fridge and see if I can just use one from last week. There are like 3 in there now. 🙂
Lol…I`ve forgotten my brushes in the fridge for months – I actually think there`s one back there now!
Great post! Love it.
Cortney at http://www.organicallyopulent.com
That is funny! When I went out to take a picture of my paint brush in the fridge, I found 3 in the back that I didn’t even know were there…ooops!
I am so like you with the clothes! I’m always like, “I’ll be fine. No worries.” NEVER happens! I love the brush and roller in the frig trick! I didn’t learn that one until a couple years back and had already re-modeled an entire house! Would have been such a time saver! Jenna @ Rain on a Tin Roof
Haha! Better late than never! 🙂
Always keep a wet rag and a few damp paper towels close by, great tip. A few others that I’ve adopted…I wash those styrofoam meat trays and when I am working on a project, I grab one to lay my brush on and my damp rag. I also find that large yogurt containers make a great smaller container to put a small amount of paint in and fill as needed. The great thing about these containers is you can place a rubber band around the container vertically to stroke your brush across and get that excess paint off. I also always have a small foam brush (keep it on that styrofoam tray) and I use that to push paint into the can or get extra paint off the brush. It’s always handy too for that little strip that the brush just can’t get into. When I am rolling a room, I leave my roller right in the tray and cover it with Press n’Seal. It works like a charm sealing it perfectly. However, I only do that for a-less-than 24 hour period. Sorry, didn’t mean to be so long winded.
Wow! Thanks, Kim! These are amazing tips…I’m seriously going to start saving the Styrofoam meat trays! What a great idea! 🙂