Paint a Room Without Making a Mess

Painting is not always an easy task and definitely can leave quite a mess for you to clean up when you are done. By following the twelve steps listed below it will not only save you time for the cleanup process but also save you a headache!  

1.Moving furniture to easily access the walls and ceilings.

By doing this it will assist you in being able to move around more freely and not to feel cluttered. When covering the table you may put cardboard on top of it and then put chairs on top of that. Stacking the furniture is a great way to save space. Covering your furniture with plastic will help avoid paint drips and splashes. Use duct tape to help the plastic stay in place. 

2.Using canvas drop cloths to cover carpet

Canvas drop cloths are the most recommended cloths to use for covering carpeting even though they are more on the pricey side. These cloths will stay in place without any use of duct tape.. It is not necessary to buy the cloths the exact length of the room. You are able to reuse them and move them around from room to room as you go.

3.For wood, vinyl, and tile floors

Using rosin paper for these types of floors are most preferable. Rosin paper is defined as a 100% recycled heavy duty felt paper.   The rosin paper will stay still on the floor and not slip like the plastic and canvas cloths. Make sure to clean wood before putting this down to get the best use of this paper.

4.Make sure to remove cover plates and cover outlets

This is important to make sure no outlets are ruined during the painting process! Using a small bucket to safely keep all coverings in place will help keep you organized and know where everything is when your job is finished.

5.Covering the base board

All you need to cover the base board is to use1-1/2 inches of tape for narrow baseboard or 2 inches of tape for wider baseboard is all that is necessary when painting the base board! To seal the tape down, run a putty knife over it to make sure it is sealed.

6.Protecting doors and windows

Use tape to protect at least half an inch from the trim for the doors and windows.

7.Spills!

If you have spilled paint on your carpet it still has a chance to be saved! Using fast blotting and lots of water can make this task more achievable. Keep the paint wet and continue blotting the paint with water until the paint is no longer visible. You may use a fan once this is done to help the carpet dry faster.

8.No sticky chairs

Using drywall screws about half an inch into the bottom of the chair legs will assist you to painting chairs and make sure that they do not stick to your carpet or floor! It gives you extra elevation to paint.

9.How to release masking tape

Very simple! Take a blow dryer which will loosen up the adhesive. Then pull the tape at 90 degree angle.

10.Tape with a putty knife

A putty knife can be used for multiple reasons when painting a room. When you are taping the floor take the putty knife to make sure it is sealed down nicely. Leave extra tape sticking out to prevent paint drips.

11.Lotion!

Applying a layer of lotion on your body before painting will make the cleaning process much easier for you.

12.Removing dried paint drips

Even if there has been dried paint on the walls for years you still are able to get rid of these drips. Using a razor knife is recommended for corners and close spaces to get rid of dried paint by scraping it off gently.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/painting/tips/paint-job-tips-neater-painting/view-all/