Are you ready to brighten up your world with a new hue? Marvin's is here to help! In order to for all of your hard work pay off, let's start off on the right foot and prep right!
Don't forget your supplies! Marvin's Tip: If you're painting a bathroom or kitchen, you should wash the walls with a solution of 3 teaspoons of laundry detergent to one gallon of water. This helps remove grease or soap scum.
Make sure you have stopped at your local Marvin's and picked up these key essentials:
A high quality primer will help hide any small imperfections on walls. If you have new drywall, a good water-based primer is necessary. For walls that have heavy stains from water or smoke damage, an oil-based primer is the way to go.
Marvin's Tip: Consider tinting your primer using a bit of your base color. It enhances the ability of the topcoat to completley hide the primed surface.
With a small brush, apply the paint around trim and corners of walls where your larger brush or roller can't reach.
Try using a "W" pattern to paint walls. Start in the corner of a wall and roll on a 3' by 3' "W" and then fill it without lifting the roller. Repeat until the section is finished. This helps hide any seams and any places where the roller has been lifted and put back on the wall again.
The same color of paint can vary between cans. To ensure color consistency from start to finish, the pros mix their cans of paint in a 5 gallon bucket, a process called "boxing".
Wash your roller covers! Washing them before their first use gets rid of the fuzz that comes off once you start painting. Wash with water and a little bit of liquid soap and run your hands over the covers to pull off any loose fibers. You can start using the roller covers right away...no need to let them dry!
If you're done painting for the day but still have more to do tomorrow, you don't have to go through the tedious process of cleaning your paintbrushes and paint-roller sleeves. Instead, simply brush or roll off the excess paint, then tightly wrap them in plastic food wrap. If necessary, double up the plastic to seal out any air, then place the wrapped brushes and roller sleeves in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. It will keep the paint from drying overnight and rendering your equipment unusable.
The next day, simply remove the gear from cold storage 30 minutes prior to painting, and it'll be supple and ready for use. Properly wrapped paintbrushes and roller sleeves can be stored this manner for several days if you're tackling a really ambitious job.
We'd love to hear about your painting experiences and see all those finished rooms! Post your photos on the Marvin's Facebook page, or tag us in your photos!