Painting Your House? Do it Yourself (DIY) & Save Money

When you are planning on a painting project inside or outside your home, it is best if you are prepared for everything that the paint job will possibly need. First of all, you will want to be sure that the clothing you choose to wear is loose and dispensable, as you very well may get paint all over your clothes and it will be difficult to get it out. Likewise, it is best to wear shoes that are not your best, as not only should they be comfortable to work in, they need to be shoes that you do not mind getting paint on. Inevitably this will happen no matter how careful you may be. Keep in mind as well that your shoes need to be good for climbing on a ladder without slipping. Safety is important.

If your paint job is on the inside of your house, it is important that before you begin that you make sure that the room you are painting has very good ventilation in it, as you do not want to breath in the fumes if possible. I suggest opening the window in the room that you are working in and keeping it open until the paint is dry. Some people have a physical reaction to paint exposure in the air so it is best to take precautions. (I, myself almost always develop a bad headache and a cough)

When you are beginning a paint project inside your house, another thing to do before you begin is to cover up all of the furniture, flooring and/or carpet in that room with a plastic cover so that you will not end up having paint splattered anywhere other than on the wall that it is meant to be painted on. Paint does splatter and drip, so be very aware of the fact that it is smart to leave the plastic on until all of the paint has dried in that room. After putting down the plastic, I always like to take some tape and put it over the floor against the wall that you are painting. This will make it a lot easier to paint along edges without having to worry about getting it on the floor. The same goes for any trim. Cover this completely with tape as well.

When looking at colors in the store when you are purchasing paint, be sure to do a small sample of exactly what color a given color will look like when it dries, as most color paints will dry slightly darker then they look in the can. Most paint shops and hardware stores will allow you to take a small sample home with you to see how it will actually look in the room you are going to paint, so take advantage of this to be sure that the color you choose is the color that you really want to look at every day.

Once you do choose to purchase your paint, ask the people at the paint shop to mix and shake up the paint for you so it will be evenly distributed throughout the can. There are machines that will mix it up very thoroughly.

If it is the outside of your house that you are going to paint, then follow the above tips, except obviously ventilation will not be an issue. With the proper amount of preparation you can do your painting project by yourself and save hundreds or even thousands of dollars by not having to paying someone else to do it for you.