How To Paint Like A Pro: Finishing Up

Sandpaper is produced in a range of grit sizes and is used to remove material from surfaces, whether to make them smoother (for example, in painting and wood finishing), to remove a layer of material (such as old paint), or sometimes to make the surface rougher (for example, as a preparation for gluing). Choosing the right sandpaper for your project starts with understanding grit numbers. Each number represents the sandpaper's coarseness, with lower numbers being coarser and higher numbers being finer. Coarser sandpaper sands material more aggressively than finer sandpaper.

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Step 1. Clean the Walls

Some painters line the paint tray or bucket with a plastic liner. We love paint buckets that have a handle that fits your own size hand. Ones with a magnet built in to hold your paint brush or roller are great. We like to always prepare a roller by wetting it with water then use a brush and roller spinner or wrap in a towel to remove excess moisture. This sets up the fibers in the roller to pick up and release the paint. It also leaves water at the core so that it is easier to clean the roller. Use a light touch. Applying too much pressure on your strokes will cause the paint to ooze out of your brush or roller and drip. Don’t load the applicator with too much paint. This will result in drips and heavy lines on the walls, and you’ll risk getting the bristles of your brush caked with dried, crusty paint. Cutting in is painting the areas the roller won’t reach. We like to use a 2 1/2” angle sash brush. Brush on paint around the trim and in the corners of the walls with the brush. Extend out 2 to 3 inches from windows, doors, and moldings. ALWAYS KEEP A WET EDGE! This means do one 3’-5’ section of wall at a time not a whole room. I do the top half of the wall and then repeat with the bottom sections. Start by painting the top edge with your brush and then the corners in this section. (Keeping a wet edge is critical to avoid lap marks and “hat banding”. These occur when you cut in too far ahead of rolling the area and the cut in paint has dried.

Step 1. Paint It!