KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – AND NOW WE PAINT
Before starting be sure to cover glass and areas adjacent to where you're painting with masking or painter's tape. Instead of plastic drop cloths, which can be dangerously slippery, use newspaper. Lay it down with six inches of overlap, taping edges to the baseboards.
When painting with a dark shade, you should mix a little of the paint in the primer for your base coat. The finish coat will cover much better. When painting in corners, stroke with the flat part of the brush from top to bottom.
Paint the ceiling first. Paint in slightly overlapping strips about 2 feet wide.
While painting walls begin in the upper left-hand corner if you are right-handed and in the upper right-hand corner if you are left-handed.
When you paint a window, leave both halves of the window open until dry. Insert toothpicks between the sash and the frame to prevent them from drying together.
To start painting a wall you need to do a process called "cutting in." Brush a narrow strip of paint where the wall meets the ceiling, in the corners where the wall meets, around the door and window frames, and along the baseboards.
Now we can start rolling. Work in 3-foot-square areas. Roll several zigzag strokes, pushing the roller upward on the first stroke and increasing the pressure so the paint spreads evenly. Smooth out zigzags with horizontal strokes.
For an even paint job stroke toward the wet paint. Blend your strokes from the wet paint area into the previously applied layer.
Keep leftover paint for touch-ups, any other excess must be disposed of properly, DO NOT throw it in the trash. Contact your local village or city hall for places to take hazardous waste. In Chicago dial the 311 information line.
KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
