I have been slightly obsessed with wall colors recently, and it raised an important question in my mind: Do my readers actually know how to paint walls?  If you do know how to paint, you are likely not frightened by the idea of, say, trying an outrageous color or terrified about repainting walls when you move out of your rental.  I am a so-so painter, with expert painter friends.  Lets get the best of the best in wall painting advice from my secret painting expert of the day… (He has painted thousands of walls, so this will be very good!!!)

Since color can truly transform architecture, we can’t ignore the importance of good old-fashioned paint.  I am sure you have heard the many techniques involving painting in large W strokes (I tried this, it was a giant mess) or in taping with blue painters tape (This does not mean you are in the clear if you get paint on that tape!) so it was time to get my secret (he prefers to be anonymous) expert tips out to you so that your Spring walls absolutely glow!

Interior Wall Painting Tips You Need To Know

1. Preparation is key.  Plan out your route to walk around the room, properly cover furniture you can’t remove with plastic (tape it in place!) and properly wipe down the walls and run a microfiber cloth over them several hours to a day before painting so that you are not painting dust and dirt into the wall paint!
2. Try Frog Tape.  While regular blue painters tape will do in a pinch, paint can bleed under that blue tape.  Frog Tape is more highly adhesive to the wall.  If you can’t get your hands on frog tape, tape an extra bit of space along the wall as you tape off trim, so that if you do have a bit of bleed you have allowed for it.  Not the most elegant solution, but its one solution!
3. Paint + Primer combos do work well in general, and they improve all the time…  but in covering dark colors, or if you are not the greatest painter, a layer of primer could actually do you a big service in creating easier coverage.  After all, you don’t want to waste your expensive and hard to mix paint by using three or four coats of it to get a good color.
4. Roll paint up and down the wall in long strokes.Really spread the paint around the wall.  Press harder and roll slower to create more coverage.  Quick strokes will deposit less paint and actually help you to pull extra paint off the wall if a spot is too saturated. Overlap strokes slightly beside one another and continue to roll to get a smooth color without streaks in the overlapping areas.
5. If you are doing a two-coat paint job, try this method.  Do one coat, trying to get the paint as close to the corners as possible.  While that coat dries, use your brush to “cut in” (i.e. paint!) the corners and upper and lower edges where a roller can’t reach cleanly.  Now do the next coat. By using your brush in between coats you will save yourself time and effort.
6. Plan according to the weather.  In the Spring and Summer heat, it is extremely hard to work with paint as it will dry quickly on you and it will be harder to avoid streaking.  In the rain, you will have a hard time getting paint to dry between coats (and in general!) and in the freezing cold, well, you realize the windows need to be open for the paint vapors to actually escape.  Pick your time & climate accordingly!
7. Lastly, Zero VOC (the paint that is Eco & Health Friendly!) paint isn’t really Zero VOC.  Once you add tint to paint it will have volatile compounds in it.  Still, its way better to use that other paints.  Just because its not as smelly, don’t neglect to open all the windows and turn on a fan or two if you can!

I will document my home color transformation soon, but in the meantime, if you have paint tricks you want to share…please do!!!  Its all part of the fun of transforming spaces & lives…! xoxo Dana