Painting Stuff 101

So, I'm not a professional painter. Never claimed to be. But I've painted many many things in my day, and if I were to tell you the most important things I've learned, they would be:

 

1. Prime. This is huge. It's not a glamorous step, which is probably why many of us try to skip it. But things just work out waaaaaay better when we prime. Just the other day, I was repainting a table and thought I'd skip the priming step. (I'm a slow learner, even when I'm the teacher. Go figure.) Here's what happened when I was just about done getting ready to start over:

 

 

I know. Ouch. I peeled it all off and started over, this time sanding and priming. Do as I say, kids, not as I do. 

 

2a. Allow adequate drying time between coats. I'm horrible at this, because I want stuff done NOW. But this is hugely important. Paint should not be tacky to the touch at all before applying another coat or sanding or anything.

 

2b. Sand between coats. Every. Single. Coat. It might feel a little tedious, but I promise you--this gives a much smoother, more polished, and professional look to your paint job. You'll like it way more if you do this simple thing.

 

3. Use a foam roller whenever possible on furniture. As far as I'm concerned, foam rollers are second only to spray paint.

 

4. Seal things up with some kind of top coat (such as wipe-on polyurethane) when you're done, at least one coat.

 

Seriously, it may not seem like a big deal when you're trying to hurry and finish a project, but skipping steps and trying to rush things almost always ends up taking longer than just doing it right in the first place. Plus, you'll like the end result so much more if you do a good job. 

 

And when you rush things, you might end up unintentionally painting the garage floor:

 

At least it's a pretty color.