13 painting secrets used by pro's

All painting pros have different methods, but they also know the tricks of the trade. Here are a few tips I've researched from professional painters that will help make your painting project shine.

Sand away flaws  

You have to start with a perfectly smooth surface to end up with perfectly painted walls or woodwork. Sanding  removes burrs and rough spots in your trim, so sand the walls from the baseboard to the ceiling with fine-grit sandpaper and then sand horizontally along the baseboard and ceiling.

Use tinted primer
Instead of using white primer pros usually have it tinted gray, tinted primer does a better job of covering the existing paint color. So when everything is said and done your finish coat will be more vibrant and may require fewer coats.

Press tape with a putty knife

To avoid the pain-in-the-neck chore of scraping off the paint, do a thorough job of adhering the tape before you start. Apply tape over the wood, then run a putty knife over the top to press down the tape for a good seal. That should stop any paint bleeds. Use blue painter's tape instead of masking tape.

Eliminate brush and lap marks with paint extender

The secret to a finish that's free of lap and brush marks is mixing a paint extender — also called a paint conditioner — such as Floetrol, into the paint.  Manufacturer's directions tell you how much extender to add per gallon of paint.

Scrape a ridge in textured ceilings

The problem with painting along the edge of textured ceilings is that it's almost impossible to get a straight line.  Pros have a simple solution. They run a screwdriver along the perimeter of the ceiling to scrape off the texture.

Use canvas drop-cloths

Pros don't use bedsheets as dropcloths, and neither should you. Thin sheets won't stop splatters and spills from seeping through to your flooring. And while plastic can contain spills, the paint stays wet for a long time.
The pros use: canvas drop-cloths, you should still wipe up large spills or they can bleed through.

Finish one wall before starting another

It might seem easy to do all the corners and trim in a room, then go back to roll the walls, but don't. Pros get a seamless look by cutting in one wall — painting along the edges — then immediately rolling it before starting the next. This allows the brushed and the rolled paint to blend together better.

Don't bother taping windows when painting sashes

Go ahead and let paint get on the glass. Once it's dry, simply scrape it off with a razor blade. The paint peels off in seconds. Just be careful to not break the paint bond between the wood and the glass. Otherwise, moisture can get on the wood and cause rot.

Box paint for consistent color

To ensure color consistency from start to finish, pros mix their cans of paint in a five-gallon bucket, a process called "boxing."

Wash roller covers before you use them

Whether you buy cheap or expensive roller covers, washing them before their first use gets rid of the fuzz that inevitably comes off once you start painting. Wash them with water and a little bit of liquid soap, and run your hands up and down the covers to pull off any loose fibers.

Clean dirty walls with degreaser 

Pros use a degreaser to clean grimy or greasy surfaces, saying it cuts through almost anything on the walls and helps the paint adhere better. Be sure to read the label and follow directions — this stuff is potent. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection.

Start with a loaded brush

Pros load the bottom 1½ inches of their brushes with paint, tap each side against the inside of their container to knock off the heavy drips, and then start painting. By contrast, homeowners often take a "load and dump" approach of dragging the loaded brush along the sides of their container and wiping off most of the paint.

 

Pee You Your Home Stinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Homebuyers don't want houses that stink. Sellers must identify and remediate odors that make prospective purchasers hold their noses and run for the exits. Unfortunately, it's not always easy for sellers to identify familiar smells that might be problematic. There is no odor meter people get used to the odor of their house and may not notice that something is not pleasant

Outside sniffers
The best way to find out whether a house smells OK is to ask someone who doesn't live there to come inside and give an opinion. The obvious "someone" would be the real-estate broker hired to sell the home. But not all brokers will point out that a house smells bad, even if they're willing to offer other helpful suggestions.
Some agents are not outspoken about odor issues, instead they rely on other agents who bring buyers to see the property to break the bad news. That way, the message gets delivered with less risk to their cordial relationship with the sellers.

Pet odors
The two most common sources of difficult and offensive odors are pets and cigarettes, neither of which, is easy to remediate. The point might seem obvious, but the first line of defense in any smelly situation is to remove the source of the problem, even if that means a beloved pet must board elsewhere for a while.
It's not the nicest thing to do but you have to present the question to them "would you buy a house that smells like a dog or cat if you don't have one?" Cat urine, among the worst of the bad odors, can seep into carpet fibers, carpet padding, concrete and wood floors, upholstery fabrics, and furniture cushions and pillows.
Oftentimes you have to remove the carpet, remove the pad and seal the floor, and then replace the carpet and the pad.

No smoking
Cigarette smoke can cling to furnishings, drapes and other window coverings and work its way inside walls. Some topically applied solutions can help to reduce the stench, but an ozone generator, hydroxyl generator or air scrubber should be more effective. Experts find these methods very effective in absorbing odors, though there is no guarantee that an odor can be eliminated.

We know you love that house but please price it right!!

Many home sellers these days are unrealistically optimistic, asking considerably more than they're likely to get. As a result, they risk long delays in finding buyers, which means a lot of lost revenue while the house sits idle on the market.  Homeowners who bought after the housing bubble peaked in 2007 were even more unrealistic than those who bought before or during the bubble, perhaps because post-bubble buyers thought they got better bargains than they actually did. Nearby homes that have sold in the past six months or so may be quite different from yours in appearance or condition, and there may be too few recent sales to get a proper valuation. That being said, you won't have much chance of getting a premium price on a cookie-cutter condo if identical units have sold for less.  As a seller, you have a right to ask for whatever price you want, which you can drop if no one bites. You may get lucky, but asking too much involves a number of risks, even if you're just "testing the market" for a few weeks or months. On one side of the issue, you might get your high asking price, also it's possible that someone will find your home so perfect that it justifies a premium price. For example, a home with a garage converted into a shop may be a turnoff to most buyers because most of them have cars, but a nondriving tinkerer may love the extra work space.

More often, though, pricing your home too high works against you in some important ways. Here are three of them:

1. Agents react. Real-estate agents (yours and the buyers) may not want to waste time with a home that's unlikely to sell. Though a higher price means a bigger commission, agents might figure they can move two or three homes in the time it would take to sell yours, earning more even if each offers a smaller commission than your property does.

2. Buyers react. Buyers who like your house but pass on your property because of the price may find something else and close a deal before you drop your asking price to a level they'd accept.

3. You need that money. Even if you get your full asking price, the time it takes to get it may cause you to miss out on the house you want to buy. You may have to settle for something that's not as suitable.

Setting a proper sale price is both an art and a science. A key step is to shop carefully for an agent who can help you, looking for one who is very familiar with your community and comes with good references. Steer clear of dabblers who sell only a few homes a year. You want a pro who is on top of the market and will value a good reference from you. Keep in mind that a computer that spits out comparable sales isn't likely to know that your home has a new kitchen and the others don't.  Finally, keep an eye on the "traffic" - the number of potential buyers who come through your property. A good agent will have a sense of how many buyers are looking. If you are not getting your share, it's a sign you are reaching on price. If dropping your price is inevitable, it's better to do it sooner than later.

Keep it in the family?

Purchasing from family can cause friction between relatives from the early stages of negotiation until well into home occupancy. Jealousy from other relatives, buyer remorse and resentment are just a few of the issues that may wreak havoc on family relationships. While these are all common downsides of business transactions, it's important to remember when doing business with family that the business relationship often carries over into personal relationships. If you're considering doing business with family, make sure both parties are aware of these potential pitfalls and understand the risks before entering into a purchase agreement.
Now that you have a clear understanding of the benefits and risks of buying a home from a family member, here are a few tips when buying from a family member:

Ensure mortgages are current If the home is still financed, be sure that the mortgage payments are in good standing. The last thing you want is a lien put on the home when you are trying to purchase it.


 Seek legal advice Make sure you have a lawyer look over all of the paperwork, including the offer, any counter offers and your purchase agreement. They will likely catch something you or your Realtor may have missed, and make certain the appropriate verbiage is in your contract to protect your property investment.
Once you've covered all of your bases, including understanding the risks, benefits and best practices for purchasing a home from a family member, you can be well on your way to entering into an agreement that meets both you and your family's needs. 

Use a REALTOR®  Many realtors are experienced in dealing with sales between family members. If this is the first time you are buying from a relative, your Realtor will be able to ask and answer the right questions for you to make sure your sale goes smoothly.