Easily Prep And Paint Like A Pro/ 18 Tips For A Better Paint Job

Painting is a relatively easy task, but when mistakes happen, they aren’t very easy to undo!

That’s why we’ve provided you with 18 tips for making your paint job turn out impeccable.

Here are a few go-to pro paint tips:

1. Use The Right Tape

There are different kinds of masking tape for different surfaces. 

For example, if you are covering up a window you’ll want to use a high-performance tape that is easy to peel off. 

High-performance tapes are also necessary when taping a surface that has recently been painted. Like in two-tone paint projects, for example. 

Besides, you don’t want your fresh paint to peel off with the tape you used to cover up the first coat. Spend a little extra money for the quality look. 

2. Know When To Brush/Roll And When To Spray

Using a paint sprayer is a lot faster, even on repaint jobs where there isn’t a lot of furniture. For more empty rooms, you can cover up all surfaces quickly and easily with some floor paper and a paint masker. 

Sure, it will take you a bit longer to prep the job when spraying, but the process of painting will be one quick swipe of a paint sprayer.

However, rolling out paint jobs is much faster when there is a lot of masking and obstacles to move around. 

3. Practice Without Tape When Cutting Edges

When cutting edges in with an angled brush, the best painters don’t even use tape. All you need is a brush that has an angle-cut edge, and you can apply the paint in a perfect line to avoid the necessity of masking ceilings, trim, etc that takes a lot of time.

This may not be a skill that you accomplish right away, but it’s something to think about if you are going to be painting more than one project. It saves a lot of time and masking materials. 

And like always, some projects need to be masked properly. 

4. Use A Quality Brush

A good brush makes a huge difference when compared to a cheap one.

We recommend brushes like Purdy and Wooster because they last longer, hold more paint, and are all-around easier to paint with.

There are plenty of good paint brushes online that will do the job. We recommend most any paintbrush that is made in the USA. 

5. Buy A Handheld HVLP Sprayer

You can purchase a handheld HVLP sprayer for a price that contends with what you will pay for brushes, rollers, and paintbrushes.

We recommend using a sprayer on exterior siding, fences, garage doors, brick, masonry, etc., basically anything that doesn’t need a fine sanded finish.

You will be surprised how many times you bust out a handheld sprayer for projects. They are so easy to clean and use, and so inexpensive that it’s a no brainer to keep one around for those impromptu paint projects.

Check out some of these sprayers that will work great for interior painting.

6. Use A Paint Masker

A paint masker makes painting so much faster, and they are super easy to use. Just load up your desired tape and masking material onto the paint masker, and pull it out as you go onto the surface you are covering up.

Once you have a paint masker, you will never go back to the old ways. Plus, it’s nice to know that you won’t get paint on surfaces that you didn’t want to cover or drip.

 7. Apply A Generous Amount Of Paint

One of the biggest mistakes that amateur painters make is not putting enough paint onto the surface they are covering.

For rolling, emerse the roller into the tray where the paint is, and then lightly roll on the dry part of the tray until you can lift the roller into the air without it dripping.

When using a paintbrush, don’t dip the brush completely into the canister as that will damage the ferrule. Just dip it about halfway, and then tap the excess paint out on both sides of the brush until there is no paint dripping. 

Spraying is a whole other technique, and it’s just as easy to apply too much  paint. Every paint sprayer is different, but the general technique is to spray in a straight line, and then go back over 50% of what you have just sprayed… and repeat. This ensures that the paint goes on evenly.

8. Put Paintbrush And Rollers In The Fridge Overnight

When using a roller and paintbrush with latex paints, you don’t always have to clean them right away. Instead, you can wrap them up tightly in a plastic bag, and leave them in the fridge for the next use.

Sure, cleaning latex paint brushes is easily done in any sink, and it’s not very messy. But paint rollers are a disposable product where you should try to get the most use out of each one. 

9. Paint At The Right Temperature

Always read the paint label for recommended temperatures when painting. Latex paints should typically be applied at temperatures between 50-80 degrees F and Oil-based between 40-90 F.

Because there is nothing worse than a botched paint job! Have patience. If it’s not the time to paint, then don’t paint. Trust us, you will regret painting in extreme temperatures.

10.Sand Between Coats

Sanding between coats with finer 220-grit sandpaper (and a sanding pole for walls) will make your paint jobs turn out smooth to the touch.

Use a sanding sponge, block or sanding pole for the best results.

11. Use Dye In Spackle

There is a special blue dye that you can mix in with spackle to help you not miss spots when sanding. 

This helps so that you don’t paint over unsanded spackle(which is a complete pain) and also is a great practice for spot spackling after the primer coat and first coat.

12. Shine A Light To See Imperfections

Get a flashlight or floodlight, and shine it directly onto the surface you are painting. Do you see more blemishes than you originally thought beforehand?

We thought you might. The truth is, some blemishes won’t be visible until a certain light hits. 

So if the sun isn’t shining through a window, the wall might look great, but then a sunny day comes and might reveal a spot in your paint job that looks questionable. Just something to think about!

13. Prep Fast And Efficiently 

 The prep work is the hardest and most time-consuming part while painting, so if you can handle it as soon as possible your painting project will go much smoother.

Part of prepping fast includes having the necessary materials like paint masker, tapes, masking, spackle, caulk, etc all in one place. 

Painters lose a lot of time chasing down prep materials that they are missing or forgot to bring to the project.

 14. Peel The Tape Immediately After Painting 

Peeling the tape immediately after you are done leaves cleaner lines, and it is also much easier to peel off. 

This also helps so that you have the job wrapped up sooner. Think about it, after you have applied the paint, there is no reason to have masking still hung. There are exceptions to this tip. Like if you don’t want the stain drippage.

 15. Use Quality Paint(And The Right Paint For The Job)

 Quality paint will make or break your paint job.

 If you just need something covered up, then buy something cheaper… but if you care about the project quality you will buy quality paint.

Ask a pro for a quick response when looking for the right paint for the job. We’ll get back to you with the answer you need fast! 

 16. Know Your Masking Films 

24-inch and 48-inch masking plastics are a must when painting! They connect onto your paint masker and roll out with the tape to make covering up anything 10x faster. 

There are also other plastics and papers you will find online or at the paint store that will help you to get the job done super fast. 

17. Use A Palm Sander When Necessary

Palm sanders come in handy for quickly sanding wood projects, and they also come clutch when sanding overspray spots on walls.

Just don’t overdo it with a sander. And remember, lightly sand drywall. An electric sander isn’t always necessary when painting. 

There will be times when an electric sander is unneeded on a project(like when painting walls)… but when you need a palm sander, there is no other tool that will get the job done better.

 18.Clean And Vacuum Thoroughly Before Painting 

Cleaning the surface with a microfiber towel beforehand will make a significant difference in the paint quality. 

It’s especially important to use a vacuum to clean the dust on and around paint surfaces when using a paint sprayer. Because you don’t want dust in your fresh paint job.

Now you are more informed on how to paint your project to professional quality. 

Good luck with your future paint projects!