Peppy Painting Prep

The playroom makeover has officially begun! I am so excited to get the new shade up on the walls. Hopefully it will be done by the weekend so I can share some pics with you all on Monday! I had fully expected to be done by now, since I had painted my much larger bedroom in one day flat.

The main reason the job has been off to a slower start is that this particular room needed a lot of prep work. And I was so excited to get the color on the wall that I tried to rush through my prep, and ultimately that has slowed me down.

When I do take the time to do things right, the painting part goes so much smoother and I'm always glad I did. So here, for your enjoyment, is what I should have told myself before ever touching my paint can:


First, take off all of the switchplates and outlet covers. Don't try to paint around them--you'll either get paint on the covers, not get close enough to the edge, leaving a gap, or probably, if you're like me, both. So get thee to thy toolbox and find a screwdriver! (And a gold star for me, I actually followed my own advice on this one!)

Next, pull out your muppet duster thingy and banish all of the cobwebs from the room, high and low. I do dust my home pretty regularly, but when it's time to paint, I'm always amazed by what I find lurking in the corners. You don't want this mixed in your paint, nor do you want get that close to it anyway. So take a few minutes to really swab everything down.

Do they remind you of Muppets, too? Or is it just me?

When everything is de-cobwebified, grab a wet paper towel and wipe down all of the mouldings and windowsills. Even if you vacuum your baseboards, there is probably some buildup of debris in the corners. You'll be surprised what's in there when you go over it with your paint brush, so better to get it now.

After the cleaning, go nuts with the spackle. Go ahead and spackle every little divot in the wall. Let it dry overnight, and then lightly sand in the morning. You'll be so glad you did when you have a nice, smooth surface to paint.

[Side note on spackle: I LOVE this canned stuff. I know it's not the cheapest or greenest thing on the market, but I love that it never dries out on me. I have lots of dried up cans of spackling paste in my basement all telling me it's better to use this than keep wasting spackle.]


So, there you have it. Everything I knew I should have done but didn't exactly do. At least, I didn't do it the night before and all at once. I'm happy to report that I am all caught up with these tasks now and the rest of the painting work is ready to be done! Now if I can just figure out a way to entertain the kids so I can get to work again...

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