10 Painting Tips & Tricks You Never Knew

After painting most of our 1970's fixer upper by myself, I've learned a few things about paint these past few years. So, I thought it might be useful to share some of my favorite painting tips with you. 

These are my top 10 paint secrets that will save you time, money, and just make any paint job a whole lot easier. Enjoy!

#1. For easy cleanup use tinfoil on your paint tray.

  I went through about 20 paint trays before I ever figured this trick out. The next time you need you paint something, cover your paint tray with a layer of tinfoil before you pour the paint in the tray. When you're done, just remove the foil and throw it away. Your paint tray won't have a drop of paint on it and will still be good as new. You'll never have to wash another paint tray. High five on that one.

#2. Use a paint pour lid on paint cans.

Pouring your paint straight from the gallon into a paint tray can be really messy. So, before you ruin your fancy socks, go get a paint pour lid. They're about $2 here (affiliate link), and will make your life so much easier. 
Not only does it make the painting process quicker and cleaner, but since the lid is airtight, it makes your paint last so much longer. 

#3. Use vinegar and hot water to clean your paintbrushes.

I wasted a lot of money having to buy new paintbrushes before I figured this out. I fill a small bowl with 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 hot tap water and soak my paintbrushes after each use for about 30 minutes. If your brush is in really bad shape, bring some vinegar to a boil and soak your brush in that for a few minutes. Wash it with some soap and water afterwards, and your brush will look like new.

  In the below picture, the left brush was just soaked in water, and the right brush was soaked in vinegar and hot water. 

To see the rest of my vinegar cleaning secrets, go here.

#4. Use mineral spirits to clean oil based paint off brushes.

The vinegar trick won't work too well if you're using oil based paints or topcoats. Instead, try using mineral spirits to clean your brushes. I threw away so many brushes after using them to put topcoats on furniture. Now that I know about mineral spirits, I can reuse the same nice brush over and over. My favorite is Klean Strip (affiliate link) because it's super effective, but has a way less toxic odor than other brands I've tried.

#5. Buy a paint sample before buying the gallon.

I know how it feels....you're in the store, looking at a million paint chips with funny names. You're not totally sure about the color, but you don't want to have to come back to the store. I know. I get it. However, it pays to buy the paint sample and take it home to test it on your wall. As tempting as it is just to take the plunge, it's never fun to realize after you get home that you just invested in a gallon of paint that makes your wall look like a banana. 

 So take it from me. Buy the sample and test the color on your walls first. 
For my best tips on how to choose a paint color, go here.

#6. Make your own chalk paint.

I love chalk paint and I use it often. It's a great time saver, as it's a type of paint that adheres really well, and saves you from having to prime or prep if you don't want to. I make my own version by using plain interior paint mixed with Plaster of Paris (affiliate link). You can find Plaster of Paris at Home Depot or Lowe's and it's really cheap. All you do is mix 5 tablespoons of Plaster of Paris with 2 cups of paint and 2 tablespoons of water. Just combine ingredients and stir well. It may even be a little lumpy, but that's okay. Once you brush it on, it evens out. I used my chalk paint recipe on my all time favorite thrift store furniture transformation here. 
And if you don't want to make your own chalk paint, feel free to just buy this stuff because it works, too.

#7. Use the correct type of clear coat finish.

This is something I wish I had known when I first started painting furniture, as I ended up having to redo several pieces due to using the wrong clear coat. For most furniture paint projects these days, I use Polycrylic (affiliate link) as my top coat. It gives me the durable finish I want, but doesn't yellow over time like Polyurethane will. I definitely painted a few pieces back in the day and watched my pretty white paint turn yellow because I used Polyurethane instead of Polycrylic. Also, I like Polycrylic because it cleans up with water. You'll have to use mineral spirits for Polyurethane.

#8. Make any color paint into fabric paint.

You can get fabric 'textile medium' at most craft stores (I like the Anita's brand). You just mix it with any color acrylic paint and it instantly turns it into fabric paint. 
I'm totally obsessed with it.

#9. Try Rub n Buff or a Silver Leafing Pen to update metallic accents.

 I love silver spray paint and have used it on tons of stuff, but I've found that for small items, Rub 'n Buff  and the Krylon silver leaf pen (affiliate links) do a much better job.  
You can see some of my Rub n Buff projects here and here.

#10. ORB it.

When we first moved into our house, I didn't have the money to replace all of our doorknobs, hinges, and cabinet hardware. They were all mismatched and outdated, and it drove me crazy. So, after a few months, I eventually decided to take the plunge and try spray painting everything. And luckily, it was a total success. I used the Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze (affiliate link) for all of our doorknobs, and it's held up perfectly every since.
See the doorknob before and afters here.

And those are my top 10 paint secrets!
Thank you guys so much for being here. I appreciate it so much!

For related posts, check out the following:

 10 Painting Tips & Tricks Part Two

10 Painting Tips & Tricks Part Three

10 Spray Paint Secrets

'Til next time!

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