Painting Tips From the Pros

(Metro) - Say goodbye to gray winter doldrums and bring the beauty of spring into your home with a luscious coat of paint chosen from the almost endless color palette available. Nothing changes the feel of a room faster and sets off your belongings better than a bright new coat of paint. Best of all, painting is the least expensive way to transform the rooms you live in. And with these handy tips, you can do it yourself and get professional results:

• Choose the color at your house, not in the store. Bring home color chips from the paint store. Hold the colors you like up to each wall of the room - the color will look slightly different on each wall because of light differences. The time of day also affects the hue. A yellow may look buttery at noon and almost creamy or tan in the evening. Finally, before buying several gallons of the color you like, invest in a quart of it and paint a swatch on each wall to see how it will look. Live with it for a few days. If you still love it, then buy enough to do the job.

• Prep the room first. Protect your belongings by moving all the furniture out of the room or to the middle and cover it with plastic. Protect the carpet with drop cloths. Avoid the "paint around" that can lead to odd circles, streaks, or drips by removing switch plates, outlets, knobs and hinges and bag each with its screws - you will be glad you did when you're ready to put them back. Use painter's tape to protect wood trim.

• Prepare the walls. One of the most important steps to a great result is preparing the walls to a clean, smooth finish. After removing all decorations, use a general all-purpose cleaner to lightly wash the dust and grime from the walls. Rinse with clean water and a sponge to make sure you've removed any soapy residue. Then fill all holes and cracks with spackling compound.

SECRETS OF SPACKLING SUCCESS

• Use the right product. Traditionally, spackling has been done using a can of spackling material and up to two putty knives. The frustrating experience of many non-professionals is that the putty has dried out since their last job and the putty knife is nowhere to be found. Also, juggling a spackling can while applying the putty is awkward and messy. Many traditional spackling products shrink as they dry, leaving a noticeable "crater" effect that will distract from the smooth, professional result you want.

However, one product has taken the hassle out of spackling by engineering the "putty knife" right into the container. Painter's® Nail Hole Filler comes in a tube with an angled sponge-tip applicator that evens out and finishes a smooth or textured surface - no scraping or sanding required. Unlike other spackling compounds, no tools or mixing are involved; you simply shake and knead the tube before opening and then squeeze it to bring the spackling material to the tip of the applicator. The applicator tip guides the filler into cracks, holes and nail heads and rubs the patch to a clean, smooth finish. This filler won't dry out in the tube and never shrinks or discolors paint or wallpaper. Painter's® Nail Hole Filler is designed to work on wood, stucco, wallboard and even plaster wall textures. Most normal size holes are dry and ready to paint in12 to 15 minutes.

Whatever product you choose, be sure to clean up the hole before filling. Brush or wipe away any plaster flakes around the hole or debris in the hole so that you have a smooth surface.

"Layer" the larger, deeper holes. When filling deeper and/or wider holes than the normal nail holes or small cracks, fill partially and allow the filler to set up and dry a little before adding more filler. Depending on how deep the hole, you may want to apply several layers of spackle until the hole is entirely filled. Then smooth and texture the final layer and allow the fill to completely dry before painting.

Once the prep is done, it's time to paint. Here's a neat trick. Put your paint can or roller tray in a child's wagon along with brushes, rags and other tools you might need (like Painter's® Nail Hole Filler if you find a hole you missed.) As you move around the room, you can just pull everything with you.

With the array of paint colors and application techniques available for today's do-it-yourself decorator, you can create a beautiful room with the perfect ambiance for you and your family.

Most home-improvement stores carry a variety of spackling products, including Painter's® Nail Hole Filler. For more information about the product, contact Eclectic Products, Inc. at (800) 767-4667 or visit the company's Web site at www.eclecticproducts.com for more tips and techniques.