Painting Tips

Painting involved more than just picking a color and slapping it on the wall. Here are some tips to make your next paint job look great.

Put it to the test
Once you’ve finally decided 1) to go ahead and paint and 2) on a paint color, it can be tempting to just get the job done. Not so fast. You can save yourself a lot of hassle if you take the time to test the paint first.

Buy quarts in several shades of the color you want and paint a little of a wall with each one. Allow the paint to dry and see how it looks over a few days. Then you’ll see that the shade you thought was perfect may not be quite right. Or you may find that your first choice is best. Either way, it is better to give it a trial run.

Don’t be afraid to mix it up
Professionals know that no two paint cans are exactly alike. There can be a slight difference between different cans of custom-color paint. But how can you assure yourself that these slight differences won’t affect how your home looks? By mixing all of your paint together. This is called “”boxing.” When you “box” you paint you pour all of the paint into a large (5 gallon) bucket and mix it up. This mix will dilute the effect that any slight differences in shade or tone that one can may have. After mixing the paint in the large bucket, you can return it to the smaller cans because it is not easy to paint using a container that large.

Do a little blending, too
Adding just a few tablespoons of the wall paint to the trim paint will help the two blend together much better. Just a bit, though. You still want them to be different colors.