When we first started painting, we taped EVERYTHING. Doors, trim, ceiling, windows, switches, lights...you name it, we taped it. And after spending a small fortune in Frog Tape, we wised up. Taping that much not only cost us a ton of money, but it took up SO much time! I think it took us longer to actually get everything taped off than it did to paint. Especially when you have an older home and nothing is straight anymore, you will drive yourself crazy trying to tape straight lines. That leads me to my next point...
We had a Shur-Line paint edger from when we painted my son's nursery. After getting sick and tired of all the taping, I was desperate to try anything that would make life easier. It took some getting used to, but once I figured it out, everything went so much quicker!! My advice is to take caution when you first load it with paint. You don't want too much on it, or it will not make a clean smooth line. If you put too little on it, it won't cover like you want it to. And keep it as clean as possible, especially the wheels.
When you do need to use tape, remove it as soon as you are done painting. Do not wait for it to dry. I taped over the walls we had already painted in our bedroom so we could paint the ceiling, and the paint peeled off with the tape on the walls that dried.
No matter how hard you try, at some point you will drip or smudge paint somewhere you don't want it. Wipe it up right away with a wet rag and it will clean right up.
During our marathon painting, we tried to keep all our brushes, rollers, trays, etc. as nice as possible and wash them thoroughly after each use. (In fact, I'm sure there was a few late nights where I washed a sink full of rollers while asleep). But trying to paint with rollers that are past their prime will lead to a poor paint job and more frustration than they're worth. If your tools are starting to look worn, pitch them. It costs less to buy a refill than it does to paint the room over again. And why keep a bunch of raggedy old stuff around your house that you most likely won't use again?
So there you have it, folks! I hope some of these tips will help with your next painting adventure. Do you have any great painting tips? I'd love to hear them!
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