Painting Fun – A Review of 3M Blue Scotch Tape

I have to admit I am someone who loves to paint. There is something therapeutic about it. I know, I know I am crazy, but I just really enjoy doing it.

When we moved in to our new home, we had a huge task ahead of us. We decided to paint the whole first floor before we moved in. That is a daunting task all on its own, but we also found out that we had to paint THE CEILING! Now that is a lot of work.

So we came equipped with our team, my mom, and dad, a friend Paula, and my husband and I, paint, brushes and accessories. There were a few tools that I would never paint without again. The first must have item for painting is the 3M blue Scotch Tape.  Using this tape helps keep lines smooth and mess free.  You can get as close to the trim as needed without making a mess.  It makes edging so much more efficient.

I will admit I am not the best painter out there so having the 3M blue Scotch Tape, really made my task easier. I was in charge of taping the house while my mom and Paula trimmed, and my husband and dad painted the ceiling and walls. Its not a small task taping. I made sure I taped the floors, trim and ceiling so we could do as close to a professional job as possible.  Having the tape protecting certain surfaces meant we didn’t have to be overly cautious when painting.  In the past I have used an edger.  They work great at first but as you get more tired, the work can get sloppy.  The 3M tape ensured a clean finished project regardless of how long you are on the job.  Needless to say it was a sea of blue in my house.

Tearing the tape off after all the painting was done was so rewarding.  All of our hard work had paid off.  We were left with a professional look with straight, seamless lines, and no mess.  I was amazed at how much easier our job was with the 3M Tape.

All in all I was very happy with our hard work.  Having the proper equipment makes the job much less stressful and more satisfying.

Here are a few other tips you might find helpful when renovating.

1) Buy good quality paint.  Doing so ensures a great finished product.  You can buy one coat paint with primer added.  It cuts your work in half.   We skimmped on our ceiling paint, and had to do a lot more coats then we would have needed had we just bought the better quality paint to begin with.  My recommendation:  BEHR paint.

2) Have all the equipment bought ahead of time.  You can watch for sales throughout the month leading up to the renovations , and save a lot of money.  Painting can be expensive so if you can save a few dollars this way you will be thankful.

3) Finding the right tools for you. These are some must have tools for me;

•  Paint tray refills.  This will save you time and money when you need to switch colors or clean up your mess.  You can throw         out your refill and save the tray for future projects.
•  Different sizes of brushes.  This makes different tasks more manageable.  You need one size for trim, one for banisters, one for edging etc.  Makes the job easier when you have the right size brush for the job.
• Dish for paint.  When you are painting the trim, or doing the edging, you are constantly adding paint to your brush.  I found a great container that you can keep with you while you paint.  It has a handle on the side to hold while you paint, and even has a magnetic piece for your brush to stick to if you need a free hand.  It was a great time saver.
• Drop clothes.  we had drop clothes set up to make the clean up easier.  We dropped a bit of paint her and there, and didn’t have to worry about it getting on the carpet or flooring.  We had enough to fill one room, and dragged them along as we needed to.

These are just a few helpful tips.  I would love to hear any other tips you have from your painting experience.  My next project will be tackling some landscaping outside.  Stay tuned.

What tips do you have about painting?  What home renovation projects are you working on?