It doesn't matter if it's a rented apartment or your dream home--the thought of painting a room or two sounds like a blast. It's like all your childhood dreams of creating
masterpieces on your walls have finally come true. However, while
painting a room is fun for the first few minutes, you then realize how much work it actually is and get tired of it pretty quickly.
Here's what we know everyone is thinking when it's painting time.
"It's a small room, I'm not worried."
Sure, the kitchen might be the smallest room in your house, but did you think about how much tape is involved in the preparation of painting a room? You have to tape around every edge, every appliance and every fixture so you don't get paint where it's not supposed to be (in a perfect world). Now might be a good time to put the paint brush down.
"This orange color will look good when it dries... I think."
Yes, you may have really wanted a sunny-colored sun room in your new house, but did you bother to try a sample before you bought a five-gallon bucket of "Clementine Punch" from the home improvement store? No? Well, then you only have yourself to blame, my friend. When you're thinking of colors to paint your room, don't rely on the paint swatch cards at the store alone. Your best bet is to try out a sample patch to see if you can really stand to have your walls that color.
TIP: If you want to save yourself some trouble, paint a large piece of poster board and tape it to the wall instead of painting the actual wall to see if you'll like the color.
"I'll bribe my friends with pizza and beer, it will be a fun Friday night!"
No. No it won't be. Painting is an arduous task that gets irritating very quickly and you and your friends will hate each other by the time you're done with the first coat of paint.
OK, maybe that's a bit extreme, but painting a room or an entire house is definitely hard work. If you're going to ask your friends and family to help you, at the very least don't ask the same people who helped you move - their arms have already fallen off from carrying your couches.
"That [insert wall treatment on Pinterest] isn't working!"
Not everything is meant to be. The pictures of beautifully decorated homes and
artfully painted walls on Pinterest are not real life, so it's OK to not have everything come out as planned.
When you first move into a new home, it's your chance to make it your own. Yes, it would be nice if everything you tried to replicate from Pinterest or your favorite home decor magazine was successful, but that will not always be the case. Who knows--maybe if you write a blog post about your trials and tribulations of painting a room, your own mishap will inspire someone else!