12 Painting Hacks Every DIYer Should Know

All you need to paint with less mess is a bucket!

Place your paint tin inside a bucket and all drips and spills will be contained.

Keep a damp tea towel handy so you can quickly wipe up any rogue paint flecks.

You can use your mop bucket or head to the local hardware store and buy a new bucket for under $10.

It takes around 4 hours for a coat of paint to dry and in that time, paint rollers will dry out too.

An easy way to keep rollers fresh between coats, or when there’s any delay to continuing the job, is to use cling wrap.

Cut off a good sized piece of cling wrap and lay it down flat on a hard surface.

Then place the paint roller at one end of the plastic and roll it forward.

The plastic should wrap around the roller.

Another method is to wind the cling wrap manually around the roller.

Paintbrushes and sponges should not be put away until they are fully dry and sometimes that can take awhile.

Cut drying time in half by using a wire rack to dry sponges and paintbrushes.

Place a wire rack over the sink or even over large, deep bucket or container.

Lay items like sponges out flat, stand paint rollers up vertically and if you have S-hooks handy, attach them to the rack and loop through paintbrushes.

You can also use this method for makeup brushes and sponges.

To store paintbrushes properly means to store them so that the bristles do not become damaged or deformed.

Brushes should not be stored resting against one another or so that any pressure is placed against the brush head.

One way to store paintbrushes so that they are out of harms way is to hang them from a rod on the ceiling.

Install hooks onto rafters or floor joists, thread brushes through a wire rod and then hang the rod on the hooks.

Ensure paintbrushes are dry when you store them so water does not drip onto the floor, creating a safety hazard.

You’ve just repainted your home and love the colours you have chosen.

The next step is to keep an accurate record of the colour and brand of paints used so that future retouching is a breeze.

An easy way to do this is by writing the brand and colour of paint used on paint stirrers.

Do this with the paint stirrers you used during your project as they will already have right paint on them.

Otherwise, buy wooden paint stirrers from the hardware store, paint them with the required colours and then once dry, record the product details.

The primary aim of correct paint storage is minimising air exposure.

When rogue air infiltrates a paint can, the paint will dry out very quickly.

To prevent this, simply store your paint cans upside down.

The paint will create its own seal against the lid, protecting it from outside air.

Clean around the can rim and lid before sealing and store paint in an area where the temperature will not vary too wildly as hot and cold fluctuations can also affect the lifespan of leftover paint.

When you need to spray paint small items like door hinges it can be difficult to do so without creating huge amounts of overspray.

One way to prevent overspray is to create a makeshift spray booth using a cardboard box.

To do this, simply take the lid off a cardboard box and turn it on its side.

Be sure to cover any holes on the bottom and sides of the box.

For easier spraying, hang items like door hinges from long wire hooks that are attached to the top of your spray booth.

This will allow better access to every angle.

Once one side is sprayed all you need to do is turn the wire around to start on the other side.

Painting smaller items like cabinet doors can be tricky as you need to access all sides without getting paint everywhere and ruining areas you have already covered.

One solution to this problem is to create DIY mini-stands using spare offcuts and screws.

To make a mini-stand, drive a screw all the way through the centre of a spare piece of wood.

Four mini-stands are usually enough to raise an item evenly.

You’re only as good as your tools.

Every DIYer knows that if your tools are not in good condition it will impact the final product.

When it comes to painting, this is especially true.

Painting with crusty, old paint brushes and rollers will result in sloppy edges and bumpy surfaces.

One way to keep your paint roller in good form is to trim the sides to get rid of ragged edges and loose fibres.

Make sure you use sharp scissors so you don’t make the problem worse!

By trimming the sides of your paint roller you will be able to apply paint more precisely, creating cleaner lines.

Spray paint nozzles become clogged by dried paint very easily.

Trying to prevent clogging can be like fighting a losing battle.

A better strategy is to unclog nozzles before you intend to spray paint.

One way to do this is by removing the nozzle from the spray can and placing it in a jar filled with nail polish remover, leave the nozzle to soak overnight and then rinse it out and reattach.