Paint_That_Wall

After a year of painting interior and exterior surfaces for a professional painting company, I like to think I know a thing or to about how to paint. It seems kind of simple I guess. But there's so much more to painting that I see novice painters do wrong, due to lack of knowledge, so I'm going to tell you how to paint. First, we have to establish what we're painting. For the purposes of this tutorial let's assume we are painting a regular four wall room with one door. The drywall has been primed and is ready to be painted. Lay down a tarp right next to the wall to protect the floor from any splatter. Wear clothes you don't mind getting paint on, because you will get paint on yourself. Professional painters usually wear white pants and shirts you can find at most paint retailers. Open your can of paint and pour it into a cutting can, which is a cleaned out empty paint can. Painters use old paint cans to carry smaller amounts of paint instead of carrying a full can in their hand. If you don't know, 'cutting' is a term painters use to describe the action of painting the outline of the room like corners and the trim of doors. When you're painting it is vital that you have music. Bring your i-pod or mp3 player and relax, try to have fun with it, and play your favorite songs. Now its time to start cutting, it's important to have a still hand, because cutting is an art of precision. Beginners may find it difficult to cut a straight line, so if you feel like you're going to get paint where you don't want paint, it's a good idea to tape the trim of what you don't want to be painted with either masking tape or painters tape. Hold the brush by it's head and not the handle; this will give you more control than it would by holding it by the handle. Soak your brush in paint and slap it on the wall. Push the bristles until they spread next to the edge you're cutting, and maintain the pressure as you cut along the wall. When there's less paint in the brush, stroke it back and smooth out the area you just painted until the brush strokes aren't that noticeable. Once you're done cutting the room, its time to roll it. Grab your tray liner and slide it into the tray. Use a paint can opener to open your can of paint and pour it into the tray. Be careful not to spill the paint! There are plastic pouring funnels you can clip onto the lid of the can to make it easier, but either way you should have a brush in hand to capture any drips. Put your sleeve on the cage and attach it to a poll. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone waist time by rolling a wall holding the cage in hand. Now dab the sleeve into the tray and start rolling the wall. Start from the top, work your way down, and then back up until the sleeve runs close to out of paint. When it does, back roll over what you just painted, and then back. Make sure what you rolled is smooth and there are no runs or flakes of dried paint. If there are runs in the paint, it's not hard feather them out with a dry roller. If there are any flakes of dried paint, just pick it off with you're finger, and feather the area with your dry roller same as you would for a run. Once your done it's time to clean up your work area. This is what master painters are always aware of while painting. Being neat is essential to saving time by not having to clean a mess up when you're done and just want it to be over already.