Painting Tips

What kind of paint to use:

• Use latex paint, not oil-based. With latex you can clean your brushes with water, but oil-based paints require special, nasty chemicals to clean up. Also, if you paint with oil, it's impossible for anyone to paint over it with latex in the future. You will probably not get your deposit back if you paint with oil-based paint.

• Choosing between Flat or Semi-Gloss. Every paint is rated for its sheen (how shiny it is). From shiniest to dullest, you have Gloss, Semi-Gloss, Satin, Eggshell, and Flat. So which should you use? In most cases you'll want Semi-Gloss, because it's easy to wash when the walls get dirty. Semi-Gloss is especially important for bathrooms and kitchens where there's lots of moisture. But if your walls are in bad shape, a Flat paint will hide the imperfections better. Also, flat paint is usually used for ceilings because a shiny ceiling can reflect light in an unpleasing way.

• Eco-Friendly Paint. Glidden makes a low-odor, eco-friendly paint called Life Master. It won't give you a headache while you use it, and it won't contribute to urban smog like regular paint.

How much paint do I need?

• Small rooms generally take 1-2 gallons for the first coat, and larger rooms take around 2. The second coat usually takes about half as much as the first. If you're repainting with the same exact color, you can do just one coat. Otherwise you'll need at least two, and maybe three to cover the old color.

Preparing the walls

• Don't blow off the prep work. A paint job is only as good as the preparation. Good painters prep first. If you don't prep right, there's a good chance the paint will peel.

• Remove all nails, tacks, staples, and crews from the walls. Patch all small holes with spackling or joint compound. Fill big cracks, especially along baseboards, with painter's caulk. When buying spackling or caulk, make sure you get the kind that dries in 30 minutes so you don't have to wait too long before you can start painting.

• Remove electrical outlet and light switch covers with a screwdriver.

• Rub the walls with a damp (not wet) cloth before painting. If the walls are dirty, the paint won't stick and it will peel. But also make sure that you let the walls completely dry after washing them, or you'll have the same problem.

• Lay out drop cloths, and put masking tape around windows so you don't get paint on them. After painting, remove the masking tape IMMEDIATELY. Otherwise, the masking tape can bond to the window and you'll never get all the adhesive off.

Painting

• Open the windows so you get ventilation. Paint is more toxic than you think. Even better, get a box fan and put it in the window blowing OUT.

• You can use a roller, but you'll need a brush for corners and baseboard.

• Stand to the side of the roller, not direcTly in front of or below it, so you don't get paint splattered on you. Feel free to check out some plastic safety glasses from your house tool closet if you'd like to use them.

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