Painting Tips!

 

#1: Make a paint chip key ring

 I recently made my own paint chip key ring, and it’s so useful! I wish I would have done this long ago! It’s just a simple key ring with all of my paint colors and paint names attached. It really comes in handy when I’m out shopping for fabric, furniture, or decorative accents like pillows, etc.

 

#2. How to choose a paint finish

When you’ve never painted anything before, that first time to the hardware store is a doozy. Paint comes in a bazillion finishes and it can be really confusing when it comes to which one you’re supposed to get for which project.  So, after years of using different paint all over my house and my furniture, here’s what type of paint I usually get for different projects:

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

Semi-gloss: use for windows, trim, doors, and cabinetry

 

#3. Use Tack Cloth

Oh, tack cloth, how I love thee. Have you ever sanded down your furniture or wooden trim before painting it and then ended up with a million bits of fuzz and dust in your paint job? It can be so frustrating to paint a piece so perfectly and find out after it’s dried that there is a giant tumbleweed stuck right on top. Tack cloth is the solution for that. It’s basically like a kinda sticky rag that doesn’t get it’s stickiness anywhere. You just wipe down the surface of whatever you’re painting and it picks up everything. I use it on every single piece of furniture that I paint. I highly recommend it for your next furniture paint project.

 

#4. Furniture touch up pens

These things are definitely on my list of awesome inventions. I am well known around these parts for being heavy handed with a vacuum cleaner and scratching up the legs of all our furniture.

 

#5. Save time with artist brushes

I love this next tip. It saves me tons of time when painting!  I use this tip a lot when painting our house. I almost never remove the doorknobs (unless I’m doing this), hinges, and electrical outlets. Instead, I use a small artist’s paintbrush to edge around them. They’re so small and precise and they work perfectly for this. They work really great for touching up small knicks and marks on your walls, too.

 

#6. Prime before painting wood

I painted a lot of furniture before I learned about primer. It was the MOST annoying learning lesson I’ve endured yet, as most of those pieces ended up having to be redone. I’m sure it’s common knowledge to any of you seasoned furniture painters, but for those of you just starting out (like I was a few years ago!), hopefully this tip will save you from the trauma of peeling furniture. 

 

#7. Wax it.

When it comes to finishing furniture, wax is my favorite method.

 

#8. Cheap Sources for Paint Cans

 Did you know you can get empty paint cans of all different sizes at Home Depot for just a few bucks? 

 

#9.  Gloss spray paint

I’m obviously a huge fan of all types of spray paint. However, my personal fave is high gloss spray paint when it comes to coating small accessories or ceramics.

 

#10. My favorite gold spray paint

There are a million gold spray paints out there, but they are not made equal. Don’t get me wrong, they all work just fine. However, if you’re looking for that certain gold color that is super trendy right now, yet always classic, my go-to gold spray paint is Rustoleum Metallic Gold.