Amazing Painting Hacks and Pro-Tips You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

I recently had the pleasure of painting my home. We didn’t do anything fancy, but did change the colors in a few rooms. That being said, I had no idea what an undertaking it was just to paint a room a new color! Aside from the obvious choosing colors and purchasing supplies, there are so many things to consider when you decide to paint. What do you do when you spill paint on your furniture? How in the world do professional painters get such perfect lines? I wish I had thought of all these questions sooner but you know what they say…hindsight is 20/20.

So to that end, I started thinking of ways to make painting easier. I did learn a few new tricks as we went along, and I wanted to share those tricks plus a few more that I found since then to help you with your next painting job. Whether you’re changing the color in a single room or you’re remodeling or building a new house and need to paint all of your rooms, there are tips that you can follow that will make it a bit easier on you. I’ve actually found 30 great tips for helping you to make painting your home a breeze. I love hacks and these are some of the best I’ve seen.

From prepping the wall – in the easiest way imaginable – to keeping paint from dripping down the sides of your paint can, I’ve found some wonderful painting hacks that will make painting seem more like a fun task and less like a job, these painting tips and hacks will definitely save you some time and many of them will save you money as well. If you’ve ever painted, you know how expensive it can be, so ever little penny that you can save will help.

So, if you’re ready, let’s talk painting hacks. I’ve found some wonderful tips that will help you to make your next painting job so much easier and some great ways to remove paint spills and other accidents that happen all too often when we take on interior painting. I hope these little tricks help you as much as they have helped me.

1. Create Solid Drop Cloth Corners

Drop cloths are great for keeping paint off your floors and furniture and they’re completely reusable…if you can get them folded, that is. A great trick is to tape cardboard to the corners of the plastic. The cardboard makes the plastic a big more foldable and makes it really easy to put the drop cloth away until next time. It’s also great for moving it from room to room when you’re painting multiple rooms.

2. Get Brushes Deep Clean

If you’ve ever painted with a paintbrush, you know how frustrating it can be to get all of that paint off the brush when you’re finished. Paintbrushes are tools that you can definitely use for more than one job, if you can remove all the paint, right? Vinegar does a wonderful job of breaking down that paint and stripping it from your brushes. They’ll look brand new when you’re finished cleaning them – ready for the next job!

3. Use Fabric Softener For Cleaning Brushes

You can also clean your paintbrushes with fabric softener. This is a great idea for those of you who don’t really like the smell of vinegar or paint thinner. Plus, fabric softener is a bit cheaper than paint thinner and you can use the cheap stuff from the Dollar Store. Just soak your brushes for a bit and then rinse them clean with warm water. Not only will they sparkle like new, they’ll smell amazing.

4. Remove Paint Roller Fuzz

Paint rollers are great for covering large areas but the cheaper ones often have fuzz that can really mess up your paint job. Before you begin painting, take some packaging tape – that you can get at the Dollar Store for just a couple dollars – and use it like a lint roller on your paint roller. It will remove all that fuzz and ensure that your walls look perfect when finished.

5. Fix Uneven Baseboards With Caulk

Uneven baseboards can be difficult to paint. Not only that, but they look much less attractive than they should. Before you begin painting, check your baseboards. If you have spots of unevenness, take some caulk and fill them in before you begin. Then, when you paint, the caulk will be covered and no one will be the wiser.

6. Paint Corners With Ease

Corners are the hardest to paint. You just can’t get the roller in there to cover them and brushes leave unsightly lines most of the time. A great way to cover those corners with ease is to hot glue a paint edger refill pad to a paint stir stick. You can use the pad to cover even the sharpest corners and leave them looking just as good as the rest of your walls.

7. Avoid The Fumes

I love painting but the fumes are another story. Did you know that you can skip the fumes? Just mix in a tablespoon of vanilla extract for each pint of paint that you’re using. Stir it in really well and paint away without those annoying paint fumes. The vanilla won’t affect your paint at all – provided you mix it well – and you’ll get to smell wonderful vanilla instead of paint fumes while you work.

8. Cover Paint Trays For Faster Cleanup

One of the worst things about painting is the cleanup. Those pans take forever to clean. Paint can be difficult to remove – even water based paint. So, the next time you’re filling up that paint tray, take a moment to cover it with aluminum foil before you add the paint. The foil will keep the tray clean. When you’re finished with your paint job, just remove the foil and throw it out – your tray will still look like new!

9. Prep Walls With A Swiffer

You can easily remove drywall dust, cobwebs and other debris from walls with a Swiffer. Cleaning the walls is a must before you paint to ensure that your paint goes on smoothly and you don’t have any unsightly spots. Just dampen a dry cloth that’s attached to your Swiffer and swipe your walls to remove that debris before you paint. Once the wall is dry – which will only take a few minutes- you’re ready to go.

10. Prep Rollers Before You Begin

There’s a tip called prepping your roller that will help you to paint those walls flawlessly. Prepping the roller with warm water sets it which helps it to absorb the paint better, resulting in a much more smooth and beautiful finish. You just let warm water run over your hand and then brush the roller with it before you begin painting.

11. Remove Masking Tape With Heat

One of the hardest things to do after painting is getting off all that masking tape without pulling on walls or furnishings. You want to use the tape to avoid painting areas that don’t need painted but sometimes the tapes sticks too well and you end up damaging the surface of those covered areas. You can easily remove that masking tape by heating it first with a small heat gun or blow dryer. Once it’s warm, it peels right off.

12. Remove Paint Lines And Drips

You can use a sander or a single side razor blade to remove those unsightly drips and lines after you’ve painted. This is a trick that works well for cabinets or other furnishings. When your paint has dried, try lightly sanding the surface to see if it removes those blemishes. If not, you can go to the razor blade and just lightly scrape them off, leaving your finish professionally perfect.

14. Turn Acrylic Paint Into Spray Paint

If you need spray paint but just can’t find the right color, you can turn acrylic paint into spray paint. This is a neat trick for furniture and other things where spray paint would make more sense than traditional cans of paint. There’s actually a neat little kit that turns your acrylic into an aerosol and you just have to mix the paint with a medium to get the perfect color every time.

15. Keep Paint From Cracking

Those newly painted cement floors will look great for a few years, but what about after that? How do you keep your gorgeous paint from chipping and cracking? You use vinegar! If you brush the floors that you’re painting with white vinegar prior to painting, it will help to preserve the paint and keep it looking fresh for years. Be sure to let the vinegar dry completely before you begin painting.

16. Grab Paint Spills Quickly

If you spill paint on the carpet, the best way to ensure that you get it cleaned up is to get to it quickly. Leaving it to dry could make it nearly impossible to remove. Don’t wipe paint from carpet. Instead, scoop it up with a putty knife and then blot the paint stain with a wet rag. For smaller drips, you can let the paint dry and then trim them away with scissors.

17. Clean Up Windows Easily After Painting

If you are painting window trim, there’s actually an easier way to keep those windows clean aside from using tape. Even with tape, you often get a few smudges of paint on your glass. If you apply Chapstick to the glass right before painting, it will wipe right off and bring any paint smears with it.