The lowest pile foam rollers are for satin, eggshell, and gloss finishes where you want a really smooth finish. For rollers, the thicker the pile the more textured the surface it can handy.
Next, make sure you have the right type of roller or brush. The best paint rollers and best paintbrushes are even more important if you have splashed out on fancy paint. The temptation to get a cheap pack of rollers and brushes might shave a bit off your decorating budget, but aim for mid-range or the best you can afford or your job will be plighted by piling rollers and loose brush hairs. There is a lot of choice when it comes to painting tools and the price differences vary wildly. If you want to mask off a rough surface like carpet, use orange tape. These are for surfaces that haven't been painted in the last three days and untreated wood, metal, stone and glass.
Green and orange are high tack and extra high tack. Medium-tack blue tape is for things where you want good adhesion but want to avoid sticky residue – tile, glass, window frames, flooring, cabinetry, plastic and metal are all examples. It can be used on recently painted surfaces without removing the paint (as long as it has cured for the recommended drying time). Yellow or purple tape is low tack and the one many of us will use the most. The cream one is a cheap all rounder that is either not sticky enough, or too sticky and rips all your existing paint off, so it is best avoided. These tapes come in different colours so have different uses. For the rest of us, the time spent meticulously taping everything off is better than correction time or super slow painting with a too-small brush to avoid mistakes. Using the wrong painter's tape (or none at all)Īll hail those people on TikTok videos who can cut in neater than I can with painter's tape. Again you might trust your steady hand, but it is much quicker to cover anything you don't want painting than having to clean or paint over later on. Then use painter's tape between surfaces to section off what needs painting. Cover all furniture that can't be moved from the area with old sheets and use a drop cloth to protect the floor. You might think you can work carefully, but accidents happen and a spilled can of paint will ruin a floor, adding cleaning or replacement fees to your budget. If a different batch is unavoidable, just try to use it on the same coat or area so that any color discrepancies are not obvious. Paint cans tell you what area they cover so divide your total area by this to get the number of cans you need.
#Blue splatter paint wallpaper windows#
You might be tempted to subtract any windows and doors from the equation, but we leave them in to allow for a little wastage. The best way to avoid this is to work out the area of each space you are painting (multiply the length by the width) then multiply by two to allow for two coats. Paint is made in batches, so the color might be very slightly different if you don't buy the same batch. If you don't accurately estimate how much paint you need, you will be cursing yourself on the trip to buy more, and beyond. It isn't just annoying to run out of paint, it can impact the result. Primer is the best way to achieve a smooth finish.' 3. While many of Benjamin Moore's paints are self-priming, we recommend a dedicated coat of a high-quality primer. Helen Shaw, UK Director at Benjamin Moore says, 'Skipping primer may result in uneven or blotchy paint. Primer is that essential coat that does what it says – primes the surface, disguising obvious blemishes that will show through the final layer. You might think you can get away with it and save a few hours of painting and drying time, but if you don't prime your surfaces first you will likely end up needing to add an extra coat of paint. Skipping the primer stage is a false economy when it comes to time and resources.