Q & A from a non-professional, slightly experienced painter
In the past year, I painted 11 rooms and 2 floors at the Pivot House and 6 rooms here in our family home. That’s a lot of rooms! I still wouldn’t call myself a professional or an expert, but I have gained some knowledge in the process. My mom recently said to me: “You must love painting… right?” because I sure do it a lot. And I do…sort of? It’s one of those and/both scenarios. I love how powerful the process feels: how it instantly produces results, brightens a space, brings joy. And I often feel like it’s so slow and monotonous and messy— not worth my time. But I can do it and painting rooms myself gives us more money to play with. Plus I can’t imagine I could hire top-notch painters willing to go one room at a time the way I need. I like that I have power over the process. So the benefits outweigh the annoyances.
Last Saturday morning, I asked if you had any painting-related questions and here’s what you submitted. I have a feeling this will be an ongoing discussion.
Q: Painting is such a production for me! How do you just do it while they watch cartoons?!
A: I know it seems nuts, but when you’re always working on a home project like I am, the supplies are always nearby. And I know that if I don’t take advantage of quiet moments when I have good energy, they’ll be over before I know it. I keep brushes in plastic Ziploc bags so they won’t dry off between coats and then keep a dropcloth and the paint can closed and tuck it away near the painting sight but in a spot where my kids won’t find it. Then I just keep them away from the area I’ve painted for a solid hour. I also like painting at night for this reason — no kids to work around! And I make it fun with music/podcast/wine.
Q: I’m terrified to paint when my kid is home/ might touch wet paint. Tips?!
A: I mostly tackled this in a question above but I think it’s also worth noting that I often get my six-year-old involved while monitoring her. And I even let me two-year-old take a few swipes last weekend. Once they get their hands on the brush even for a few seconds, they feel like they’ve contributed and see that it’s kinda boring and they leave me mostly alone. The curiousity itch has been scratched.
Q: When painting a whole room one color, including the trim and the doors, do you use the same kind of paint? Or do you use wall and trim paint specifically?
A: There’s actually no such thing as wall paint vs trim paint. The difference lies in the finish. In most cases, people paint walls in satin/eggshell, and trim in a semi-gloss (the glossiness makes it easier to clean, and you’re more likely to scuff up trim like baseboards than you are the walls).
In our Pivot House rental property, I painted many of the walls in a flat finish because they’re super old and full of imperfections, which a more dull/flat sheen helps hide.
In our dining room, I wanted to create a truly uniform, monochromatic effect, so I painted the walls and the trim (in this case, the baseboards, crown molding, wainscoting and window frames) all in eggshell finish. Then I rolled the ceiling in a flat ceiling paint.
The higher the gloss you use, the more your eye will notice the paint/any imperfections. But also the easier it is to clean. In our hallway, I painted all of the trim in semi-gloss since it will be such a high-traffic area.
Q: Advice about cleaning…brushes (especially between switching colors), disposing of paint water, all of it.
A: This is a great question and a bit murky (pun intended) to answer. Most of us are using latex paint these days, and I tend to use the same brush for a single project and just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or a Ziploc between uses. I prefer not to switch brush colors to prevent colors from being mixed. And that way, I’m generally only washing my brushes out at the very end. I use warm water and dish soap, and since I’m generally not washing out too much paint, I just do it in the kitchen sink. The same is true for rollers. Over time this can damage your drains, but I think that’s a question of moderation. And I’ve read that vinegar can also help clean really hardened brushes (vinegar cures all, does it not?)
If I empty a paint can, I save it to take it to the hazardous waste dump. And I reuse paint trays as many times as I can, as well as linen dropcloths (which work much better than plastic).
Q: What’s your favorite brand of paint to use?
A: I love the colors of Farrow & Ball, but don’t love the hassle to get the product (it’s made in England) or the price. Benjamin Moore is my personal go-to — and generally the Regal line. It’s a bit pricier than paint from Home Depot, but I love that it includes a primer (I hate priming) and the paint goes on so, so well. I also love Clare paint—it’s a female, black-owned business and I think the edited color palette is so helpful in a world of a zillion colors. I’ve also used Sherwin Williams (the samples they sell are huge!) as well as Behr on budget projects. Behr (via Home Depot) is just fine most times, but it’s a bit of a toss-up who will be working in the paint department that day and how much experience they have with mixing.