Painting your home can be a messy mistake-filled nightmare – luckily, a DIY expert reveals which viral painting tips to follow and which ones you might be better giving a miss
Summer is prime time to try and cover up all of the stains and cracks in your paint – but an expert warns not all painting hacks are worth following. Painting can be a difficult chore, particularly given that it can make a massive mess of your home if done incorrectly.
For less experienced painters, social media is a popular resource for learning new DIY tips and tricks – the only problem? Not all of these suggestions are as effective as they seem. Luckily, DIY expert and Ronseal brand manager Jimmy Englezos has given his verdict on five of the most popular viral painting trends, so you know which to follow and which to ignore.
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1. Placing a piece of paper over a hole in the wall to hide it
With 25.8M views on TikTok, this hack aims to address the problem of painting a wall with a hole or a dent in the plaster by hiding the area with a sheet of paper. You simply paint over the area while holding the paper in place so that it dries, covering the hole.
Jimmy advises: “While this may look like an ideal solution for a quick cover-up, leaving the damaged area unrepaired for a time may lead to more problems down the line.”
He adds: “The best way to repair a hole or any wall damage is to use a quality filler. With Ronseal 5 Minute Filler, you can cover the damaged area, and within five minutes it will be touch dry. After a further ten minutes, it’s ready to be painted over.”
2. Using a credit card to cut in to a wall
It can be hard to paint with precision. According to one TikTok user, you can make things easier by applying paint to a bank card and using it to paint clean lines around door frames and other edges.
But Jimmy warns that this trick isn’t quite as simple as it may appear. He says: “The paint tends to slide off the smooth surface of the card, which can cause drips or smudges and you’ll also end up covering your card in paint. Also, only being able to paint the length of a credit card in one stroke each time is going to get quite tedious, which could see attention to detail diminish as you spend more time on the process.
“Instead, I recommend investing in a high-quality brush and applying paint lightly. You can also use decorators’ tape to mask off edges and ensure crisp lines.”
3. Applying paint with a tanning mitt
One TikTok user demonstrated how she uses a tanning mitt to paint a door instead of a brush. She used the mitt to first apply a base layer and then add the topcoat, and while the result looks great, should home decorator’s consider using a tanning mitt instead of a paint brush?
Jimmy says that while you can certainly use a tanning mitt while painting, it’s better used for specific jobs. He recommends: “They can be used in tight spaces, like stair railings and bannisters, where their flexibility can help those with less experience achieve better control.”
Although, he adds that you will always get “a better finish” with a brush. If you can encounter awkward hard-to-reach areas, there are specialist brushes that you can pick up to help.
4. Mixing water into paint to help cover a larger area
Looking to increase your paint’s longevity? This TikTok hack suggests adding a small amount of water to your paint and mixing it to increase the paint’s coverage.
However, Jimmy suggests that this is often unnecessary. It also could have a negative impact on the end result. He explains: “Most modern paints are formulated to offer maximum coverage without the need to add water. I would advise against adding water to any paint product unless expressly instructed to do so on the tin itself.
“Adding water to paint will not only result in making the paint thinner, but it can also impact durability and the number of coats required to get a nice-looking finish.”
5. Using a sheet of acetate or paper to paint skirting boards
An Instagram user has suggested placing a piece of paper under the area that you are painting in order to help stop any paint from splattering on the floor.
Jimmy says that this a great idea for those painting indoors. He said: “This is a simple and cost-effective trick to avoid a mess when painting skirting boards. These can be tricky due to them running flush to carpet, or hard flooring , and protective sheets can often get in the way, or smudge paint, as they typically won’t be able to neatly tuck under skirting boards to protect flooring.
“Using a sheet of paper to tuck nicely under the gap between the skirting board and flooring allows you to paint with a faster pace as the paper will catch any excess paint in the process. Painters should exercise caution when removing the paper as any considerable drips of paint will weigh the paper down and could undo this hack in seconds.”
He also advises that for carpeted rooms, it might be better to use a more structured material like card or acetate.