Paint Techniques – Page 2 – Jenna Burger Design LLC – Interior Design & Architectural Consulting

Paint Tricks, Tips, and Techniques

Written by Jenna on October 24, 2011. Posted in Paint, Paint Techniques, Paint Tools. 20 Comments on Paint Tricks, Tips, and Techniques

I love PAINT! Whether it be regular paint, spray paint, or craft paint, paint can dramatically change and transform any room or piece of furniture. With my many painting endeavours, I have learned a few TIPS + TRICKS along the way, and now I want to share them with YOU!

TIP 1

There is never a time when youâ€™re painting that youâ€™ll be done with the brush or roller after your first coat. Either you need to take a break OR you are waiting for the paint to dry.

Before I discovered this all-time favorite paint trick, I washed my brush/roller with water EVERY TIME to avoid it from hardening. Then the next time I went to use the brush/roller, it was often still water logged and would make the paint runny – NOT GOOD! So hereâ€™s the trick (Itâ€™s SOOO easy) ~

1. Take a grocery store plastic bag
2. Put your brush or roller in the inside corner of the bag
3. Grab it from the outside and Twist
4. Secure it with a rubberband, clip, or simply twist it around and lay something on it.

Basically, you DO NOT want air getting to the brush, or it will harden.

NO JOKE â€“ – I use this trick EVERY TIME. Iâ€™ve had brushes stay in bags for weeks when I havenâ€™t gotten around to doing my final touch -ups (I know, crazy?!).

TIP 2

Another one of my favorite painting tricks is to use this formula to create a smooth and even painted finish.

This “magic potion”, Flood Floetrol, is a paint additive that will create a smooth, even finish, free of brush or roller strokes. I used it for the first time during my Kitchen Makeover and the results were amazing. And better yet, it’s less than $10 a bottle (depending on the size). I use this every time I paint.

TIP 3

One pet peeve of mine is buying something, only to discard it within a short amount of time. If it can be avoided, I’m all for it! Buying paint liners is a huge waste of money, but it’s easier than cleaning or throwing away a paint tray, right? Well here is a solution instead of wasting your hard earned money on paint liners – Use foil. It’s that easy! Line your paint tray with foil and throw it away when you’re done. This trick comes in especially handy when using multiple colors and changing paints often.

TIP 4

After you’ve poured your paint into your foil-lined paint tray, it’s typical for leftover paint (in a can) to get stuck in the rim. Then when you try to seal the lid, it splatters all over you and you’re left with an unsealed can, resulting in possible hardening. Here’s an easy trick! Wrap a paper towel around a screwdriver and clean around the rim of the can. The paper towel will soak up the leftover paint and you will be splatter free!

After Post Edit: Sandra of Sawdusts and Paperscraps just added a great painting tip that goes right along with cleaning the rim. She punches holes in the rim with a nail to allow the paint to drip back into the can. With that tip and the one above, there definitely shouldn’t be any leftover paint in the rim to achieve a perfectly sealed can!

TIP 5

Applying paint can sometimes be tricky, especially if your a first-timer. Using the “W” or “M” technique, along with a good quality roller, will result in an even, smooth finish.

Cover your roller with a good amount of paint and starting from the bottom, make a long stroke up.
Then come down with your roller.
Continue your “M” pattern along the wall and fill in the area in between rolling from left to right until the area is completely covered.

> Use a quality brush and roller: DONâ€™T bother buying the â€œall-inclusiveâ€ paint packages. Use a roller that is best suited for your project (see above for options)! A ~~cheap~~ inexpensive roller wonâ€™t hold as much paint and itâ€™ll take you double the time to complete the job.

TIP 6

And last but not least, winter is right around the corner and within a few weeks the freezing temps will be setting in. Avoid the mistake I made last year and be sure to bring all your paints indoors, otherwise they will freeze. Paint should always be kept at room temperature!

I hope you’ve found these tips enjoyable + helpful to make your next painting experience a little easier!

DIY: Cabinet Makeover with Glaze Overlay

Written by Jenna on June 19, 2011. Posted in DIY, Paint, Paint Techniques.

Last week I shared my latest DIY: How-to Stencil project where I transformed one of the walls in my foyer.

Did you happen to notice the cabinet in the pictures?

It’s new. Well not really “new” in the sense of just bought, but new to the place it now sits. AND it just got a huge makeover!

This cabinet is about 40 years old. My mom had it for about the first 35 years and I’ve had it for the last 5 (it’s had quite the life so far). On a random day, a few weeks ago, the cabinet was looking quite sad, so I said, “let’s give you a makeover”! And I did!!

To step back in time, this is how she looked before ~

Quite sad and in need of some L-O-V-E!

Here’s how I made her over

1. I’m often known to be a bit lazy and skip over steps, but after learning my lessons from other projects, this time I used a PRIMER!!

KILZ Premium Primer, Sealer, Stainblocker was what I turned to for this project. It blocks heavy stains from showing through the paint (especially since the new color was light).

2. I applied the one coat of Primer using a good quality synthetic brush, then painted the cabinet with an off-white color.

Need help finding the right brush for your paint project? Check out {this} post.

3. To cover this dark cabinet, I had to used 3 coats. The 3rd wasn’t really necessary, but I wanted to make sure it was completely sealed and covered!

At this point, I thought I was done. Just like a woman with a much-needed dye job, I had transformed this old cabinet into a new beauty. But she was looking a little bland…she really needed highlights.

Yes, that would be the trick to make her fabulous!

After much thought, I decided to use a glaze overlay. I had never before attempted a glaze, so I really didn’t know what I was doing. I thought I needed a special product for glaze, but I was wrong….

4. Here’s the glaze effect on the right and the plain painted door on the left.

How-to Glaze Furniture

5. Using the brown paint from my fireplace (Benjamin Moore Chocolate), I diluted it with water ~ about 3 parts water to 1 part paint. Taking a dry brush, I lightly applied the watered down paint onto the cabinet. (This must be done in SMALL SECTIONS because you need to move quickly). Then using a paper towel (or rag), I wiped away the paint and what’s left was a lightly covered brown glaze.