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Last Updated on June 22, 2019 by Chris Butler
Are your projects not turning out as good as you had hoped? You invest the time and money to redo a piece of furniture or paint your kitchen cabinets even. Make sure you get great results by avoiding these 8 common painting mistakes.
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8 Painting Mistakes That Mess Up Our Projects.
1) Failure to prep.
It’s so easy to skimp on this step. You want to get to the fun stuff. Bring on the paint! But if you fail to properly prep your project you’re just wasting your time and money.
Prepping doesn’t have to take forever. There are a few easy things you can do to ensure your final result is stellar.
Sand it. The surface needs roughing up a bit so your new paint will stick to it, especially if it’s glossy. You don’t have to sand down to bare wood or spend forever doing this. Use 150 grit sandpaper and give all of the surfaces you are going to paint a once over.
Clean it. Paint doesn’t stick to saw dust covered surfaces very well. It doesn’t sticky to grimy surfaces for long either. Use a vacuum to get the excess dust first and then wipe with tack cloth. Next tackle any remaining dirt and grime with TSP Cleaner.
2) You don’t remove hardware.
I know, I know, now you have to go find a screwdriver to remove those knobs and hinges and whatever else needs removing. But if you think you can paint around them, you’re going to end up with hardware covered in paint.
3) You’re using the wrong brushes and rollers.
This is not the time to go to the dollar store to pick up your supplies. Cheap brushes and rollers are going to leave streaks, bubbles, brush strokes, you name it. Not good. I prefer to use Purdy Brushes and Sur-Line Foam Rollers.
4) You skipped the Primer
Paint has come a long long way. And in many cases, you won’t need a separate primer. But if you’re going from super dark or bright colors to white or lighter colors, save the hassle and use primer. Otherwise, you’re going to waste a lot of time and good paint applying several coats.
5) You bought cheap paint.
Just don’t. The color can come out uneven, it leaves lines even with good brushes, and you’ll be painting many coats just to get your project to look ok. Chalk Paint is all the rage because it is easy to work with and gives great coverage. I also love General Finishes Milk Paint. There’s a reason it has rave reviews on Amazon.
6) You apply thick coats of paint.
This is a good way to get drips and paint runs down your project. It can also give an uneven appearance once it finally dries. It’s best to do a couple of light coats of paint until you get full coverage. (And with the good paint it should only take 2, in some instances 3 coats of paint)
7) You don’t wait for the paint to completely dry between coats.
Guilty. Even if it feels dry to the touch, try your hardest to wait the recommended dry time, because it’s not always dry underneath. Take it from me, when you add that second coat too early, your first coat can peel up and leave you with all kinds of yucky mess.
*Tip, place your paintbrush inside a Ziploc bag and put it in the refrigerator to keep it from drying out between coats and save cleaning time.
8) You don’t protect it.
Your project is painted, you didn’t make any painting mistakes and it looks gorgeous! Time to clean up and admire your work. Wrong, wrong, wrong. You need to protect your masterpiece. If you don’t use a polyurethane top coat, within a few months of usage, your project piece will look dirty, tattered and torn. Take the time to add the protective coat. After the paint is completely dry of course.
Follow these tips for each of your painting projects and you will produce great results Every. Single. Time.
Chris Butler has helped thousands of crafters learn how to use their Cricut machine without feeling overwhelmed. She is a best selling author and an up and coming designer. For fun Chris enjoys designing SVG Files, hanging out with her family (preferably at the lake), traveling, and volunteering at her church. She is a wife and mom of two crazy fun kids.
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