Wait for the right weather
If you have time, wait for dry weather to paint. Humid weather means your first coat of paint will take more time to dry and set, forcing you to wait to apply another coat or to correct irregular areas. Painting when the weather is humid is doable, but not ideal.
Read the paint can label
There is a wealth of valuable information available to you on the label of your paint can. Most paint companies will provide detailed instructions on how to get the best look and use out of their product. This includes at which temperature to paint and store the product as well as information about prepping your surface prior to application.
Prep and prime your surface
Start planning repainting as soon as you see the previous paint job beginning to crack or peel. Leaving old paint to tarnish too much will mean more work for you when you do decide to renovate. Lightly sand, scrape and then thoroughly rinse your surface before you begin repainting.
Invest in quality brushes and rollers
You can get paintbrushes everywhere from Walmart to the dollar store to a hardware store, but don’t let price be the determining factor of your purchase. Cheap brushes tend to lose bristles as you paint, and their poor absorption lead to wasted paint and a drippy application. Investing in high quality brushes and rollers will not only ensure a better looking and easier application, but you will be able to keep and use them for years.
Remove light switches and outlet covers.
It may seem tempting to skip this step, but don’t. It doesn’t take long to remove these fixtures from your wall, and it’s just as easy to put them back afterwards.
Buy all your paint at once
To avoid making several trips to buy paint, and to avoid the nightmare of not being able to match your exact color later on, get an estimate of exactly how much paint will be needed based on the dimensions of your space. Then, “box” your paint, which simply means mixing it and buying it all at once.
Take a brush to your edges, corners and baseboards
After you’ve taped, the first things you want to tackle are the edges, corners and baseboards. These areas will need the precision of a brush versus a roller.
Paint from top to bottom
Your paint is going to drip downwards as a result of gravity, so simply embrace it and paint from top to bottom.
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