DIY Home Painting Tips for Less Mess in 2022

The mere thought of having to paint or otherwise redo the home or office may not sound like either the most fun or even cleanest activity for the average DIY novice to attempt to pull off. And even if they were aware of proper masking off procedures, there is also a chance they may not know of different methods and approaches to achieve desired results that could be more time and/or cost efficient than previously thought.

If you have been considering repainting your home or office in 2022, here are some tips to help you get started.

The Equipment You Use Really Makes a Difference

While it is true that less spatter is produced with roller covers when paint is applied slowly, spatter as a whole can essentially be eliminated through the use of premium tools and/or specialty brushes. 

Rather than sticking with just plain brushes and roller covers, edge brushes and other detail tools are specially designed to effectively and evenly apply paint to their respective surfaces, which will ultimately save you both time and money.

Dust Off All Surfaces Before Masking Off

Painter’s tape and even paint itself does not mix well with dust bunnies and cobwebs, so before masking off windows, outlets, and anything/everything else, be sure to dust off surfaces that will be close to wet paint, including:

• window trim
• door trim
• baseboards 
• heaters/radiators
• vents 

Use Drop Cloths to Protect Both Carpets and Furniture

While it is best to remove as much furniture as possible from the room beforehand, cover both the carpet and furniture with canvas drop cloths. If you don’t happen to have any canvas drop cloths available, old bedsheets will work as well. Whatever material you choose should be absorbent and durable enough to walk on. Rosin paper is acceptable for use on hard floors, as well.

Remove Electric Receptacle Covers Before Painting

One common misconception that is prevalent in the home improvement space is DIYers taping over their receptacle covers before painting. The problem with this method is that it can lead to paint spatter on the cover, i.e. another mess to clean up later. 

Rather than creating more work for yourself, remove all receptacle covers in the room to be painted and cover the outlets with painter’s tape. The resulting finish will be much smoother and the unblemished cover will look great once replaced.

Mask Off Your Baseboards

Some DIYers may opt to cut in, or rather use a small edge brush to apply paint to the wall up to the edge of the baseboard, without masking off the baseboard itself, but if you have an unsteady hand or would otherwise not have to worry about cleaning paint spatter afterwards, use painter’s tape to mask off the baseboards.