A Slasher's Guide to Painting

[wook77]

I've quite a bit of painting experience, as most of my flist can attest as I've spent the past few weeks bemoaning how much I've had to paint in my house.

In honour of this, I bring you A Slasher's Guide to Painting. There are 27 Tips and Hints total. These tips and hints have been test-run by ficlette and wendy for usability.

Disclaimer: wook77 will not be held responsible for any snorfling, spitting, computer damage, etc. Please remove all beverages from the immediate vicinity. (in other words - this is crack)



A Slasher's Guide to Painting

The following are a list of tips and tricks to help you as you go about your painting endeavors. Anyone can paint with a little fortitude, education, elbow grease and know-how. Hopefully these tips and tricks provide the education and know-how. You'll have to provide the elbow grease and fortitude. Oh, and the tools.


Part 1: Prepwork.
It's all about the prepwork If you don't properly prepare your project; you're doomed to failure before you even begin.


Tip 1 – Make sure to clean the surface well, rubbing it vigorously with a cloth if necessary. No one likes a dirty surface.

Tip 2 – Insure that you have the proper tools necessary and make sure that they are close at hand. Nothing's worse than having to stop what you're doing in mid-thrust with your roller or paintbrush just to have to go get more paint or a new tray or what-have-you.

Tip 3 – Make sure that the furniture in the room is properly arranged. If working in the bedroom, make sure to pull the bed back from the wall. You're just asking for disaster if you have the bed too close to the wall, especially with a loose headboard. Just think of what would happen if it bounced against the wall? Do you really want that happening?

Tip 4 – Insure that you have enough paint on hand. I can't stress this enough. It's better to have too much paint than not enough. No one wants to combine different paints together at the end of a project.

Tip 5 – Patch any unnecessary holes before you paint. You'll only have to redo your work if your paint coats the wrong hole at the wrong time.

Tip 6 – I find it rewarding to paint to music. It keeps me motivated and moving right along. Even as I go up and down or even sideways with my roller, I really enjoy music to help me establish and maintain a rhythm.

Tip 7 – Insure that you have the proper tools. If you have a rough surface, you're going to want to use a bigger roller to get into all those crevices. Lots of angles? A sash brush will help you clean up those edges. If you are unsure of the tools you need, make sure that you ask a professional as I'm not a professional painter… I simply paint often enough to pretend.


Part 2: The Painting.
Now that you've done what's necessary to insure proper success of your project, it's time to get some paint on those surfaces!


Tip 8 – When opening the paint, be patient. Sometimes the lid sticks and if you're too vigorous or impatient in opening the container, you're just begging for splatter all over the place. You'll end up spending loads more time cleaning up your splatter than you would have in patiently opening the lid. Take it from personal experience, the splatter is extremely hard to get out of the carpet and embarrassing to boot. Why, just yesterday, I had to explain to my mother what all that white was on the carpet. (Author's Note: no, really, I did. I dropped a huge amount of paint on the carpet and I ended up having to steam clean the carpets right away, interrupting my project and causing extreme embarrassment)

Tip 9 – Fill your tray with just enough paint. This is one time that more is not better. If you put too much paint in the tray, your roller will be far too wet to get proper friction on the surface and you'll end up with either the splatter problem described above or embarrassing dripping. It's alright to have to go back and re-fill the tray. In fact, think of it as exercise… who all doesn't need a touch more exercise?

Tip 10 – Secure your tray of paint properly. I cannot stress this enough. Properly securing your tray will avoid the embarrassing problems described in Tip 8.

Tip 11 – When loading the paint onto the roller/brush, make sure to coat them evenly. This will make covering the surface easier for you. The roller/brush will skim the surface smoothly without the roughness of dry patches.

tip 12 - Remember, your roller is a godsend when it comes to spreading liquid. Don't be afraid to give the tip a little squeeze when you need extra to fill in the nooks and crannies of a rough surface.

Tip 13 – Wear appropriate attire. You're going to get paint on you, especially if you're new to the joys of painting. In fact, if you're new, I highly recommend painting yourself a few times before approaching the surface. Go on, roll yourself. It will make you feel more secure and comfortable with using your roller on whatever your surface might be.

Tip 14 – Remember, uneven surfaces, curvy surfaces, angular surfaces and all those in between are really just challenges waiting for you to explore. I recommend painting everything that you can in every room that you can. Explore yourself through the use of paint and whatever tools you end up with.

Tip 15 – When painting surfaces against a window, let's face it - sometimes, you just can't avoid getting some paint on the windows. I say, go with the flow - don't be afraid to get some on the windows. A razorblade held just right will scrap any residue off the glass with no harm done. Wait until it dries, though.

Tip 16 – If you don't like the colour of the paint, simply allow it to dry and start all over again. It might cost you time but it will save time in the long run while ensuring maximum pleasure for all involved.

Tip 17 – Don't skimp at the store. Quality paint will cover better and you'll use less of it than the cheap stuff. The cheap stuff is runny and really, who wants a runny paint when you can have thick and smooth?

Tip 18 - When working with a textured surface, a double fisted grip might just be necessary to get the proper pressure. Get a little rough with it if you have to. You don't want to miss a spot, do you?

Tip 19 – Don't be afraid of having to put a second coat on. If at first you don't succeed, try try again.

Tip 20 – There are those that say tape is unnecessary or for newbies. I say, "Tape is your friend". Bind those walls properly and you won't have leaks.

Tip 21 – When using a brush, remember that your grip is extremely important. Sometimes, your surface calls for a loose grip so that you can slap paint wherever you need to have it. When working with precision, I find that holding your brush like a pencil works well. That index finger along the length with just the slightest bend to it will work like a charm. It steadies the brush while getting everything where it needs to be and nowhere else.


Part 3: Clean-up.
Now that you've finished painting, how do you clean the mess?

Tip 22 – Remember, Mess Happens. It's alright. Even the most experienced painter gets paint all over them or where it doesn't belong. Go with the flow.

Tip 23 – Take a moment to step back and admire your work before putting everything to rights. Did you like the finished project? Did you enjoy working on it? Does it look good now that you're done? It's alright to be unsure of your choices at this point.

Tip 24 – A damp cloth will help get the paint from whatever surface you've accidentally put it on. Just remember to dab and not rub it in.

Tip 25 – Once the paint has dried and you're satisfied with the end result, move whatever furniture back into place. If you've gotten splatter that just won't come up, remember that judicious rearranging of furniture will help cover those embarrassing spots and give you a whole new look and feel to your room!

Tip 26 – Remember to clean off your brush properly. Dried paint will harden and be painful to remove later. You really don't want hardened paint in your bristles, do you? You might just pull out some of those bristles and then where will your brush be?

Tip 27 – Allow your equipment to dry naturally and over time. Forcing your brush to dry by using a blow dryer will only result in an overheated brush that might be ruined for the time being. Save yourself the pain and just dab it dry with a towel or allow it to air dry.



And there you have it, A Slasher's Guide to Painting. Good luck with all your painting endeavors and remember, once you paint for the first time, you'll never be able to stand an unpainted surface again. It's addictive and great fun. I find myself painting on a regular basis.

Comments

[tropical-rhythm.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this guide, I'm sure it will come in useful while painting, whether I am strapped for time and want to paint hard and fast, or have more time at my disposal to give the walls a good long paint job. :)

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Exactly! You never know when you'll need a hint, tip or shortcut when it comes to painting. It's hardwork at times but the outcome is so rewarding!