Painting :Tips and Truths for Life

I live in an old house and therefore I have ample opportunity to paint, both indoors and out. I spent some time painting over Winter break, and it occurred to me that painting and life share some tips and truths. And so, not in any particular order are my painting tips and truths.

  It takes as many coats as it takes. I don’t care what the guy at the home store said. I don’t care what the paint can says- one coat may not be enough. It depends on what you’re painting. Keep painting until the wall looks great.

Prep matters!  Painting prep is not fun. It is not exciting. It can be tedious. Nevertheless, I promise if you don’t prep well, your paint job won’t last and it won’t look good. You simply must do proper preparation.

 You’re going to step in paint. You’ll try not to, but you will. Paint will be in the wrong place and you will step in it. Some things just happen no matter how careful you are. Accept it, watch your step and clean up your foot,so you don’t make things worse.

Pay attention to detail. Try not to get the wall paint on the ceiling and the ceiling paint on the walls. Try hard to have good cut ins. Details matter and can make or break what you’re doing.

When you’re tired and your attention is fading, stop. This is when mistakes happen. Paint where it doesn’t belong. Drips, streaks, missed spots. Take a break. Come back when your mind is ready to focus.

 Stand back and look at the whole wall. And look fairly regularly. Otherwise you will miss the drips and streaks. Pay attention to the big picture.

There are no mistakes that can’t be fixed. And by fix I mean repainted. If the color you picked just doesn’t work once it is on the wall- repaint. Repaint until you get it right.

Clean up the drips promptly. You will get paint where you don’t want paint to be. Ignored paint doesn’t go away. It just dries and is harder to clean up. Deal with problems promptly.

Take care of your brushes. Keep your tools in good condition. Clean them properly and promptly. It is hard to work with poorly maintained equipment. It makes life unnecessarily difficult.

Get the good paint. Good paint is easier to work with, goes on the wall better, and lasts longer. There are some things you can cut corners on, paint isn’t one of them. In some things, quality really does matter.

So there you have it. Tips for painting that might just apply to life. One more thing, enjoy the process and enjoy the finished project.