Painting tips from intelligent people for home renovation and repair - hiring, working, managing - for women, children and pets

Latex-based sustains are known for color retention. And they're better than oil on surfaces that are impervious to water.

Natural bristle brushes work best with thin-bodied coatings like oil-based paints, shellacs and varnishes.

Synthetic bristle brushes are stiffer and more durable than the natural ones for latex paints.

Observed your possible color selections at various times of the day and evening.

If you put a little color on the ceilings, it gives them more warmth.

Stir 1 cup of the wall paint into your gallon of white ceiling paint. The ceiling will look white, but richly reflect the wall color.

Striped wallpaper will make low ceilings seem higher.

Hang pictures at eye level: if a sitting area then put art at seat level, and higher if it's a hallway.

Before caulking around the bathtub, fill the tub with water first. The water will expand the tub. This will keep the caulk from cracking from movement later.

House paint colors create illusions. To make a two-story house appear larger, use light color on the first story with a complementary light shade on all trim. A dark color on the second story will give the house the appearance of weight and solidity.

Before you paint treated wood, find out what type of treatment was used. Most commonly used treatment, chromated copper arsenate, has a greenish color when it's new and holds paint well. Wait until the wood is dried out, it will develop a silver gray appearance, before you paint.

GEL stains are easy to use. These pudding-like products rub on with a soft cloth. Use polyurethane or tongue oil to protect them when finished.

Bartley's kit includes gel stain, a gel varnish, sandpaper, gloves, and 4 soft cloths.

An easy way to keep the layer of film from forming on the leftover paint stored in cans is to place the can upside down.

Do not invest in a new paint job with expensive labor but cheap paint.

For new drywall, there are specialty primers that will cover the new board, seam-tape paper, and joint compound.

Stored, tightly sealed oil paints can last up to 15 years, and latex paints up to 10 years.

Washable wallpaper may be cleaned with a mild soap and damp cloth.

Scrubbable wallpaper may be washed with vigor.

Strippable wallpaper is strong, and may be peeled off without steaming, wetting or scraping.

Pre-pasted wallpaper is coated with dried glue, and the roll is simply soaked in water.

When hanging heavy wallpaper, use pushpins to secure each strip at the ceiling, while smoothing the paper downward. Then remove the pins, smooth, and cut the excess paper at the ceiling.

To repaint a bathtub, about the only paint that seems to stand up to such a task is two-component epoxy paint. Clean and etch the surface with acid and follow all the manufacturers directions to ensure good adhesion. There are companies that market epoxy for tubs. It's probably a little more expensive than just buying standard epoxy, but it has good instructions for coating bathtubs and comes in most standard bathroom colors. Done properly and taken care of, the job should last for several years.

There is high-heat paint made just for outdoor grills called "Barbecue Black". Several manufacturers make it. Be sure to remove any rust spots before painting.

A zinc-based primer is for galvanized gutters and downspouts. You can then apply any exterior paint as a topcoat.

The color yellow is bad for children's rooms. Research shows that all shades of yellow make infants cry more frequently and cause older children to become churlish.

Slip the paint tray inside a plastic grocery bag before pouring in the paint to aid clean up. If the bag has printed on it, turn it inside out.

To find out if the paint on your house is latex or oil, dab a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and test the paint. Latex will come off, the oil base won't.

Scrub wood trim clean with a fine grit sanding sponge. The sanding sponge contours to the trim shape. Or wrap sandpaper around a piece of Styrofoam.

Paint the door edge the color of the room into which it opens.

Before painting, don't damage the wall by ripping out unneeded anchors and mollies. Push them into the wall instead and fill the holes with joint compound.

Slip an old pair of cotton socks over your shoes before painting. The fabric will absorb drips and splatter to save cleanup time and effort.

Use white chalk to cover small water spots or other marks on white ceiling tiles. Maybe you won't have to paint.

To hide the white edges that are often visible on wallpapers, run an indelible marking pen along the edges of the roll.

Rectangular wall panels made from wallpaper borders suggests paneling, and adds a formal accent to living rooms or dining room walls.

Enlarge a room and increased illumination by washing the walls with light. The effect seems to push the walls outward, and the light is reflected toward the center of the room.

When checking for latex or oil based paint, use nail polish remover. Latex paint will melt right away.

When using odorous finishes, a fan in the bathroom window blowing out will help immensely. Let it draw warm dry air from the house through the room and push the bad air out.

When painting cabinet doors, insert a long screw into one of the hinges to hang the doors when painting. Also, use a coat hanger bent with a small 'u' at the low end, and a big hook at the other. This allows you to hang them from a pipe to paint both sides at once.

When painting relatively small flat objects, use a three-inch roller. It is fast, leaves a smooth finish, and is cheap.

When a patched area is too smooth, take a sponge lightly dipped in joint compound to tap the repaired area until you emulate the texture of the old ceiling. The thinner it is the better.

While you are waiting for the stripper to soften one piece of the project, apply a coat to a smaller piece while you're waiting. This will keep your mind from wandering, and you watching your work.

For no-slip paint for porches, use sand. Do not put the silica sand in the paint. It will sink to the bottom of the can and be difficult to apply evenly. Work out of a paint pail with just enough paint for the steps and the front of the porch so you do not contaminate the rest of the paint.

Don't drag the paint off the brush after dipping it in the paint. Use a paint pail only half full of paint. This will allow you to lightly tap the brush on the sides of the pail after dipping in the paint. Your brush will usually not drip and yet it will be holding twice the paint a brush that was dragged on the edge of a can.

To paint window glazing, only dip in about 1/3 of the bristles in the paint and tap on the sides of the paint pail. Now draw a line about one inch away from the surface to be painted rather quickly. Don't waste time, get the paint on and then go back with the brush angled so it picks up the heavy line of paint you just slapped on and directs it towards the surface you cutting up to. Do this a third time and usually with a little practice you will be able to paint up to an edge with speed you never thought possible.

Get a wider sash brush than you think, about two inches, because it holds more paint and is easier to 'drive' in a straight line.

Putty won't stick to rusting metal.

As your house settles, cracks will appear. It is important that the joints remain flexible, so use fiberglass fabric tape for patches.

Acrylic latex caulk is easy, used indoors and lasts three to five years.

Butyl rubber is difficult, used outdoors, and lasts 10 years.

Silicone is easy, and lasts 20 to 30 years.

Urethane foam comes in aerosol cans and is easy, but expensive.

Pushing a bead of caulk before the cartridge gives a smoother line than pulling the bead.

Don't try to patch the area with one heavy coat and then sand off the excess. An easier method is to use two or three light coats of patching with very little sanding.

Walk around the house and check for air voids in the perimeter. Foam any areas air can leak in; faucet pipes, a/c lines, electrical service lines, under doors and windowsills.