5 Tips for Fixing Common Painting Mess-ups
Even the most experienced Raleigh house painters make mistakes every now and then. If and when a part of your paint job gets botched, it helps to know that most mistakes can be fixed with the proper approach.
How to Avoid Common Painting Mistakes
1. Have a Paint Scraper Ready
When it comes to mending painting mistakes, few tools are more handy than a reliable paint scraper. You’ll find many applications for this simple tool, such as removing bubbles from your topcoat and removing excess dried paint on glass surfaces like windows. If you run into bubbling, this speaks to a deeper issue that requires resolving, usually to do with typically moisture or heat. Poor ventilation and/or insulation, improper climate control, or leaky pipes might be the culprit. Whatever the case, once you’ve fixed the root problem, you can scrape away any blisters or bubbles, sand the surface, and prime and paint once more.
2. Deploy a Damp Cloth When Necessary
As silly as it sounds, a damp cloth is another useful tool in your arsenal for fixing painting mess-ups. The best time to have a damp cloth nearby is when painting smaller, more delicate surfaces like trim, where even a small error can result in an uneven mess. If you happen to paint outside the parameters, you can quickly clean things up with your wet rag. Just be careful as you wipe down the wet paint so that you only remove the excess. Damp cloths also come in handy when removing dust leftover after sanding a surface.
3. A Little Sanding Goes a Long Way
Speaking of sanding, many painting mistakes can be mitigated with a sanding tool. More specifically, sanding is useful for fixing problems after the paint has dried. It’s a good idea to sand down your top coat after scraping away bubbles to make way for a new coat of primer and paint. Additionally, sanding can help you delete dried drips and runs, remove roller and brush marks, touch up tape lines, eliminate lint and other debris, and more. That said, sanding is hardly ever the final step -- rather, it’s a preparatory step for a new coat of primer and paint, helping you undo and redo your exterior or interior painting job.
4. Hold Onto Any Extra Paint
Purchasing the right amount of paint or deck stain for your project can be a challenge, but when in doubt, it often pays to overshoot your estimate. Having some extra product gives you some leeway when it comes to making and fixing mistakes. For instance, most of the common mistakes discussed here (i.e. uneven coats, bubbling, missed spots, etc.) require minor touch-ups or an entire new coat. Simply put, if you don’t have extra paint or stain at the ready, you’ll have to get more, which can be a pain. And even if your paint job turns out virtually perfect, you’ll likely need to perform some touch-ups in the future. Properly storing your leftover paint will save you time, money, and energy when this time comes.
5. Salvage Surfaces From Spills
Even if your surfaces turn out great, you might get paint in places you didn’t intend to. Spills and splashes are common during any paint job, which is why it’s so important to lay down drop cloths, and remove or cover furniture and other nearby objects before getting started. If paint does end up where it shouldn’t, there are various solutions for cleaning things up. Wet paint on carpet can be blotted up with a wet paper towel. If the paint has dried, some hot water miced with detergent can soften the paint so it can be scraped away. Different types of surfaces may require different methods, but in most cases, paint can be completely removed.
We all make mistakes. The good news is that when it comes to painting, in most cases, even major mess-ups can be resolved. If you’re afraid to mess up big time, there’s no shame in hiring a reliable Raleigh painting contractor to handle your paint project for you. At Anderson Painting, our experienced painters are familiar with the common mistakes that come with painting, and, more importantly, how to fix each and every one of them. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
