Home improvement skills

Do the corners and edges first.

I did a second coat over everything, it looked like crap with just one.

I've been doing second coats. The middle of the walls looks great.

Do you have the little black foam wedge-cut 'brushes' for painting? Do you know what I mean? They don't have bristles, the paint goes on in a texture more like that of the roller.

No, I don't have one of those, I will have to try to get one.

My workmate sitting next to me just told me I can get them at Bunnings hardware. I'll drop in on the way home.

Specialty tools
Foam brushes

Great!

Thanks Kris. :wink:

buy a good bristle brush, 2 1/2 in cut on an angle to cut with. if you you're using latex paint get a nylon bristled one, oil paint a china bristle brush. expensive but the end result is well worth it. cut your ceilings and corners in first and try to work into the wet paint with the roller before it dries on you. always use two coats, a good primer to start. if there is trim around doors, windows etc, do that first and don't worry about getting it on the walls, it will cover and blend well.



and have a few before you start, steadys the hand....

Just a little word of caution with the foam brushes -- they do drip a bit more than regular brushes. I've been painting my house, too, cause hubby hates to paint. He hates to paint but loves to offer his advice. As a result I've done different parts of different rooms in different order. Doesn't really matter -- whatever you do last will drip on what you did first so you'll have to touch up at some point. And anything done with a brush doesn't look as good as that done with the roller (as long as your pressing hard enough with the roller). The foam brushes are good, but, as I said, they do drip a lot more and if you don't notice and it dries you've got a blotch.

I feel like an expert. Think I'll tell hubby to mind his own business next time he offers advice.

I actually had good luck with blotting with the foam brush after application to give it the texture like the roller.

I couldn't afford the good brushes.

It took'em five years to get me to try those cheap little black foam brushs. I was raised better and apparently thicker than most. Now I use them almost exclusively; NO brush marks, no hairs in the paint and smooth laps in any finish including polys.

I was taught to box a room, that is all the edges first, but now I box each wall and roll in the fill-in, that way the paint isn't completely dry when you roll over it and it makes a smoother transition. I use a new brush on almost every wall because they do wear quickly and aren't worth trying to clean.

Drips are why God made dropcloths, hang a damp rag on your ladder and wipe up as you go.

Bandy: Anyone offering unasked for advice of any of my jobsites is silently handed a broom. If they dare ask why, they are told they must work their way up to project director.

Joe

Love the line, Joe. Will try it next time unsolicited advice is given.

Best thing about the foam brushes is that they're so cheap you can toss them out instead of washing them (I HATE washing out brushes).

Wilso
Will the spare room be ready by Christmas? If there are too many dramas at Kiama, I may be looking for a floor to sleep on!

My dad, "king of the proper tool, and only the proper tool" for decades, just told me that he's gone to buying foam and bristle brushes at the dollar store - "you can just throw them out, you know".

Inexpensive rollers, foam brushes and kitchen sponges are my primary painting tools. Cut in each wall first, work the middle before everything dries, makes blending easier. Wet newspaper in strips at edges that need to be protected (if you do it right, it dries and falls off, and leaves a clean edge. BONUS!). Plastic tablecloths from the dollar store make fabulous dropcloths (and can be machine washed if you don't want to throw them out).

I'm a total non-expert, but I watch a lot of "Trading Spaces" and the main thing they seem to do is tape the heck out of anything with that blue protection stuff (to use the technical term) plus drop cloths. Then they just go hog-wild.

<picking up my broom...>

OK, I've just come home from the hardware store with a "paint edging kit", a 3" trim roller kit, and a "window trimming kit." Between the three of them I should be able to get it right.

I know you didn't ask, but in case you were wondering about the area around windows - don't tape it. Just paint and, when everything is dry, scrape off excess with a razor or flat blade tool (eek, can't recall the name; it's used for spackling). This is a lot better than taping, which can leave sticky residue on warm windows (e. g. windows which face the sunny side of the house).

Oh, and I'm moving this topic to Home Improvement.

OK, the edging kit worked really well. Walls and ceiling are finished, now I've got the window surround and skirting boards. Enamel paint. I'm a little scared.