Painting Your Home

It’s amazing how much a coat of paint will help make your home more unique to your individual tastes. If your trying to sell your home a nice neutral color can really make a huge difference for prospective buyer’s who are looking at your property. Before you commit to 5 or 10 gallons of paint, always try samples because they never are the exact color as the card. Also buy a roller with 3/8 inch Nap, also buy a GOOD handle (stick, like on a broom), don't buy the 3 dollar wooden one it will break in less than an hour. You can roll much faster with a longer handle, and if you are going to roll the ceiling it helps alot, but don't stand under where you’re painting you will get paint in your face. If you’re rolling the ceiling roll a foot or so in front of where you’re standing. They also make these awesome tools for cutting in on the where the wall meets the ceiling. You can buy little square tools with paint pads on them, most have 2 wheels that roll on the ceiling. If you buy the one with wheels, make sure not to get the wheels wet, and buy extra pads. Change the pads as often as you need to, you also might want to take the pad off and wash the plastic piece every hour or so. Paint will start to seep into where the pad and the plastic holding device slide together. It tends to make a mess.. These tools will be next to the paint brushes. Also buy a GOOD brush, don't buy the cheapo brushes because the brush hairs will fall out and get caught in your paint. Tape off anything you don't want to get paint on, unless you feel comfortable painting around it with either the cut in tools, or a paint brush. I always use large drop cloths that are a cloth material. The plastic tends to be a huge pain, but it's a lot cheaper. If you use the drop cloths just buy 1 or 2 and move them around as your painting, I would use plastic tarps to cover any furniture. Use regular latex paint for inside your home, don’t buy the cheapest paint in the store, you will just have to put on multiple coats. Better paint tends to cover in one or two coats, where cheap paints can take up to 4 or 5. If you are covering dark colored walls always use a primer first, and give it a good coat of primer. In high traffic areas use satin paint (kitchen, bath). In low traffic areas use an eggshell or flat. Flat paint will not have any sheen or glossy look to it, eggshell will have a slight gloss, but barely visible, and satin will have a slight gloss to it. If you can't find the "cut in tools” Just ask someone in your local hardware store for a tool that helps you cut in. If you get good with the tool you won't need to tape off any trim. You shouldn't need to tape off the ceiling at all. If you do get paint on the ceiling just wipe it off with a wet towel. You may have to scrub it a little but wipe it off immediately because the quicker you wipe it the better chance you have of it all coming off. You will need a step ladder also. It will help, a 6 footer is fine for a one story house, in a two story home you may have area where you will need an extension ladder. If you do not own one of these you can rent one fairly inexpensively. Painting is much easier than it seems, it just takes some careful planning and patience. Never rush painting or you may end up making a huge mess. Take your time and do it right the first time!

The Austin market offers some great opportunities to flip homes.