I have a handful of rental apartments and suffice to say I’ve done a lot of painting over the years. I try to keep time and costs down as much as I can and have picked up some handy painting tricks along the way:

1) Skip the Painter’s Tape – when I first started painting I didn’t have a steady hand but soon foudn out that painters tape was a waste of time and money. the time it took to buy the tape, put up the tape, take down the tape wasn’t worth the few little blips it prevented. And most of the time the paint went through anyways. so I might spend a little more time “cutting in” still not near the amoutn I was spending with the tape.

2) Invest in a Purdy – Purdy really makes the best paint brush and as all painters know, having a great brush makes all the difference. I used to just buy the cheap kit at the depot and throw the brushes away after a few uses. A friend of mine who was a painter introduced me to Purdy and I have never gone back. I have had 3 Purdy brushes for the last 3 years, I make sure to clean them well and still have them in their originally case. they work great and paint a nice smooth line.

3) Get More Use Out of Your Rollers – I used to use a roll and then toss it when I moved on to the next color or project. Now when ever I use a roller and pause painting, I take a wet paper towel and wrap the paint filled roller and then stick it in a plastic bag. If I am waiting a longer time between projects, I’ll even stick it in the fridge. This way I get several uses out of one roller. I’ve tried washing them, but haven’t figured out how to keep a washed roller from getting dry and gunky. Would love to hear anyone’s suggestions!

4) Use One Color – especially for rental properties. pick one neutral color for the walls and one trim color and one ceiling color and buy in bulk, the big 3 gallon buckets at the depot. You save time and money because all your apartments are the same color so you don’t have to worry about matching colors for touch up.

5) Gotta Have Color? – look for “oops” paint, you can get cans for as low as $5 just by buying “reject” colors.

6) Keep Track of Paint – No matter what color you choose, it pays to keep record the type of paint (enamel, latex, etc) and the color. Here’s a trick I picked up. When you take off the light switch plate, take a piece of tape and write on the back the brand, type and color of paint you used, so you’ll always have it. This is really nice when you are selling your house, so the next buy has a handy record of the type of paint used on the room, so they won’t have the problem of mixing paint types.

7) Storing Paint #1 – If you’ve used up a good portion of a can instead of storing it in the original can, try to find a smaller container. This will help keep your paint from drying up. And make sure to label the paint can.

8) Storing Paint #2 – Right after I open a can of paint, I take a nail and hammer a hole in the dip of the rim, this way after you pour your paint, they paint won’t pool up in the dip, it will drip back into the can. This way you won’ have a mess when you go to put the lid back on and it will be easier to reopen.

Hope this saves you some time and money!

Homepage photo credit: wharman