How to Save Time and Money by Painting Your House Yourself

Painting your homes doesn’t have to be a chore. You don’t have to live with the perfume of fresh paint fumes wafting through your home. You don’t have to be a genius with drywall mud in order to fill old nail holes and contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to hire an expensive painting contractor in order to get a great paint job. No, painting your home is a quick and easy way to give your home a beautiful face lift for the least amount of money. Here’s how you do it.

First, your paint job is only going to look as good as the wall underneath it. Preparation is the key to having a great looking wall when you’re done. Start by filling in small nail holes with a touch of paintable caulk. That’s right, caulk. Simply squeeze a small amount of caulk onto your finger and press it into the hole and then wipe away the excess. Voila! No more hole!

Next, fill in larger holes and defects with drywall mud. The easiest way to do this is to purchase a small amount of premixed drywall mud and applying in thin layers to fill in the hole. You are trying to get the mud to fill the hole to the level of the wall, so use sparingly and scrape off the excess so that the mud is flush with the drywall.

Next, look at the color you’re trying to cover. If it’s a dark color, or if you have staining from mold or other issues you’re going to want to prime the walls with a good quality latex primer such as Kilz. One coat ought to do it, but a second coat wouldn’t hurt, especially if you’re painting over reds or really dark colors.

Lastly, apply a good quality latex paint with a roller and brush. If you are concerned about paint fumes, add a few drops of vanilla into the paint and mix thoroughly. Now, you’ll smell vanilla instead of paint fumes. This also works well if you are painting over old, stale smells in the walls like cigarette smoke.

If you find that you have to stop before you’re painting project is complete, don’t spend a lot of time washing out everything, or even throwing it away. Simply place your brushes and rollers down into the paint, keeping them wet, and cover the can with a plastic bag. You’ll save a ton of time in clean up and set time as well as saving water and electricity.

If you are trying to touch up only one wall in a room and you are concerned about making the paint match, take a color sample to the paint store and ask for a custom match. Odds are, the paint color won’t match exactly, so painting in spots isn’t recommended, but if you paint the wall to be touched up from corner to corner, the color will blend with the rest of the room beautifully.

So, now you know some of the tricks of the trade that almost every professional painter has used at some point in time. I know, my husband was one of these professionals for many years. If you follow these tips, you’ll have walls you’ll be proud to say you painted and will save a ton of money over hiring a professional.