painting 101

I love purple just as much as the next person, but I'm a firm believer in having neutral walls, and adding color by using other decor in the room. Mister and I decided that we (meaning I) were going to paint this room grey. I love grey. It is a great neutral that adds a little more excitement than white or cream. The hard thing with grey paint is that it is hard to find a truly grey color. Most grey paints have a blue, green, or brown undertone. I finally found one that I loved.  The color I used is Behr Ultra's "Elephant Skin." It is the perfect color for this room. I thought I would share with you my painting secrets. Everyone has their preferences when it comes to painting walls, but this method has always worked well for me.

First, take out any nails and screws, and fill in any holes in the wall. If you are going to use the hole again after you paint you don't need to fill it.

Next, wipe down the walls. It's amazing how dirty the walls get, and this is a great way to make sure that the paint sticks well to the walls. I just mix some dish soap with hot water and use a sponge.

Once the mud has dried, use a sponge to wipe off the excess. If you don't do so, you will be able to see the texture of it after you have painted over it.

Remove the face plates off of all outlets and light switches. You can take them off with a screwdriver. Make sure you find a safe place to put the screws so you can put them back on when you are down.

Now it is time to tape. Some people choose to forgo the taping and just use an edger. Edgers just don't do your paint job justice. Tape all the outlets and light switches. Tape around the molding, the ceiling, and the floorboards. This step is time consuming, but so, so, so worth it.

Lay down the plastic. This will save your carpet, I like to attach my plastic to the tape around my floorboards. This helps it stay put, and will save you a lot of headache while you paint.

Now it is time to paint! You will need the paint, a roller, rolling pan, small brush, and a small container to hold paint in. I always have a damp paper towel handy just in case I get pain somewhere that I don't want it.  Before you buy gallon(s) of pain, get a sample of your paint color (it only costs $3-$4 and it will ensure that you are getting the right color before you hand over the dough).

First, use a small brush and paint around all corners and small areas. I paint around the ceiling, floorboards, molding, corners, and outlets/light switches. These areas are hard to get to with the paint roller, and you will more than likely get paint on something you don't want paint on if you skip this step. You'll thanks yourself later, I promise.

Then, get out the roller and paint the rest of the walls.  This part will go much faster. I always do at least two coats of paint. I've noticed that the color is more smooth if I do at least two coats. If you use Behr Ultra (a paint/primer) you will more than likely only need to do two coats. Also, because it is a paint and primer, you don't have to worry about priming your walls; you can just paint away. Take off the tape as soon as you are done with all of your coats. if you leave it on until the paint dries it is much harder to peel off, and you risk the paint chipping when you pull the tape off. It's amazing the effect a new wall color can have on the feeling of a room. Have fun painting!

* This post is in no way affiliated with Behr paint. All views and opinions are my own.