DIY Tesha’s painting guide PART 2: the color

Click here to read part 1 of the Painting Guide.

PRIMING

Don’t skimp on primer. Not only does it help cover a surface so that you get the same color everywhere, but it helps your paint adhere. That’s particularly important when painting over nasty shades of paint. When you’re covering a dark or medium color, you’ll want to use two coats of primer for sure. If you’re painting over fresh sheetrock, you’ll need two coats of primer. And if you’ve got a combination wall — patches that were repaired with new mud AND ugly medium-shade paint, like I did, you will definitely need two coats of primer. I bought primer in the big 5-gallon buckets. For my house remodel, I went through three of them.

Between each coat, be sure to sand down the wall lightly to knock down any bumps that your roller left behind. I used one of those round sanders on a long handle that professionals carry around — and I discovered why they use them. They work so well! A few minutes and you’re done with a room.

If you are painting over fresh sheetrock, you’ll need to go back between coats of primer to fill in those myriad of tiny air holes that show up suddenly when you paint over them. Again, you could swear there was no hole until the paint exposes it.

There will likely be spots that the primer didn’t cover. If you find yourself staring at a blue mark that some little kid put there one day with a crayon, you’ll want to pull out the hard-hitting Cover-Up spray paint. A few sprays and that ugly spot will disappear — finally.

FINAL COAT

I prefer to paint as a duo. One person (not me) does the edging and the other follows behind to cover the rest of the wall.

I tried out a new tool for edging one day, the Shur-Line Paint Edger, while painting by myself, and my official report is this: Avoid it! The Shur-line promised to leave a sharp straight line around ceiling, sash and baseboard without leaving a line on the ceiling. It lied. It also left a line of paint on the bottom because it went on thicker than what I put on with my rollers. It dripped like crazy and I did not enjoy sanding down that line. I kept thinking it was user error and I just needed to practice with it more. Finally, I chucked it. Take my advice and stick with a good paint brush.

The professional painter I know told me once that a good paint brush is worth its weight in gold. Don’t skimp on the brush. Buy the expensive one so that you don’t have to pick out stray strands or try to keep wild bristles from leaving marks on your ceiling. You’ll also want nice rollers, but don’t worry about keeping them past each project. Rollers don’t last long.

Paint dries best between 60-75º. Less or more and you will have to deal with drips and cracks.

ADD SOME TEXTURE TO IT

I love the look my double roller leaves on a wall, and I’ve gotten many compliments on it. My favorite is from Wall Magic. The trick is to pick two colors that are a step apart for a look that adds texture to your wall. If you want something really dramatic, make it two steps apart. This look hides imperfections on your wall while giving it a designer feel.

Another great thing is that it takes less than half the amount of paint it would for a solid color. I’ll never forget when I used an entire gallon on a single bathroom for a solid coat, and a half-gallon for the bedroom’s double-roller paint job.

You’ll need a special paint tray with two different trays, one for each color. Help your paint spread better on the walls by mixng a capful of floetrol in each side.

Mix the two colors together for the paint you put on the edges; go back over that later with a sponge to soften things up. A sponge will also work for the little areas you can’t get your roller into.

You’ll want to do two coats, so you don’t need to be especially careful or wonderful with the first one. More white shines through on that first coat, and things will tame down when you add the second one. Be sure that only one person is wielding the roller; everyone rolls differently and the design will look different depending on who is rolling.

TOP TOOLS

• Double roller

It adds texture to a wall and uses less paint.

• Hand-held paint bucket

Save your back. This nifty bucket is easy to carry around.

• Taping knife

Use this tool to spread putty when you fill holes and then later to make sure your tape is on tight.

• Good paint brush and rollers

A good paint brush will last for many jobs and ensure that your lines are clean. A good roller won’t leave fuzz bumps on the wall; replace your rollers with each job.