What Amateur Painters Should Know

When you paint, your main concern is making sure that the job is done neatly and quickly. This is a challenge for an amateur because there are certain painting techniques and tips that only professional painters know how to do. If at the end of  a paint job there is as much paint on the walls as there is on you and the floor, chances are, you’re not going to be that happy with the work you’ve done.

There are plenty of painting tricks and trade secrets today that are available for you to use, probably more so than any of the other home-improvement activities. Take a look at Joseph Truini’s “5 Pro Painting Tips Every Amateur Should Know:DIY Guy”.

Photo: OneTwoSixDesign.com/blog

Painting Aluminum Siding

You can paint aluminum siding, but it is important to know that the key is in the preparation and priming. First you want to wash off the chalkiness plus any flaking paint. Apply the primer once the siding is clean then use an oil based primer that is specifically designed for metal surfaces. Do not use latex primer because the ammonia in Latex paint and primer will react with the aluminum and gas bubbles will be the result. With the oil based primer you will have to wait longer for it to dry but it will last a lot longer then the latex primer.

After the primer is dry, use 100% acrylic paint as the topcoat for the siding. This should result in a long lasting finish that you will love.

Photo: Move.com

3 Steps to Remove Paint Drips from the Wall

If you’ve recently painted your walls and want to remove unsightly drips of paint, here is what you do in 3 easy steps.

1. Use a sharp chisel or a razor blade and carefully slice the drip off the wall

2. Lightly sand the spot and make it smooth so that it is even with the surrounding surface

3. Then to finish it up,  touch up the spot with matching wall paint

If the spot still stands out, you will probably have to reroll the entire wall to blend in.

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