If you’ve ever painted a room before, you know how quickly a painting mistake can happen. Sometimes we don’t even notice them until the paint is dry. Things like missed spots, bubbles, uneven paint, drips, or getting paint on the ceiling are all common mistakes that are made while painting. That’s why most homeowners hire painters to do the work professionally, ensuring these mistakes are kept to a minimum.
Mistakes happen frequently with DIY painting, but rest assured that there is an easy fix for most problems. Fortunately, all of these mistakes can be fixed without having to go to too much trouble. Learn about the eight ways for how to fix common painting mistakes on walls:
1. Paint Bubbles
Did you notice that there are some paint bubbles on the walls you painted? Luckily, this is an easy fix! First, identify what is causing the problem. When paint bubbles occur, it’s usually related to temperature or moisture, which stops the top coat of paint from sticking to the undercoat. Fix this by lowering or raising the heat in the room or by getting rid of the moisture.
Next, move on to correcting the problem. Start by scraping the bubbles off the wall (you can use a paint scraper to accomplish this), then sand the area down (using sandpaper), prime, and repaint the area. Once the paint dries, you should notice that the bubbles are now gone.
2. Roller Marks
You can fix painting mistakes by looking at the roller marks on the walls. Did you discover that the roller you used to paint the room left unsightly marks on your walls? This happens when the second coat of paint is applied to a wall while the first coat is still wet or by the roller not maintaining a wet edge. Fixing it is similar to fixing paint bubbles.
Start by sanding down the area with sandpaper, then make sure the walls are clear of any dust, prime, then repaint the area. Make sure that your roller has enough paint on it and ensure the first coat is dry before repainting the wall.
3. Drip Marks
If you notice drip marks on your walls while you’re painting, you can immediately remove these by wiping off the extra paint. If you notice them once the paint is dry, you can fix it by sanding down the drip and cleaning the area with a damp cloth.
Once you’ve sanded the wall, you’ll be able to tell if the area needs more paint. If so, apply the primer coat and then apply your paint.
4. Paint on Windows
Were you painting around your window and accidentally got some paint on it? No problem! To remove the paint, first, let it dry so you don’t risk spreading the paint to an even larger area. Next, pull out your razor and use the blade to scrape at the paint until it’s fully removed. Use caution when doing this so you don’t hurt yourself or accidentally scrape too much and damage your window.
5. Ceiling Marks
Did you know that you can use window cleaner to remove unwanted paint from your ceiling? All you need to do is put some on a paintbrush and then apply it to the area of paint you want to remove. This comes in handy when paint gets on the ceiling and creates ceiling marks and you notice it while the paint is still wet.
If you find that the window cleaner not only removed the mark from the ceiling but also removed the ceiling paint, just get out your ceiling paint and patch up the area. If you’re only noticing the mark on the ceiling once the paint is dry, just get out your ceiling paint and repaint the area.
Another good tip is to make sure you feather the edges so that the spot you’re painting blends in with the rest of the ceiling and you’re good to go!
6. Tape Lines
You don’t want to make the mistake of removing painter’s tape while the walls are still wet, but you don’t want to risk leaving it on too long either, where you can accidentally remove paint from the wall. If it does happen where you’ve removed the painter’s tape and some of the paint has come off, you can use sandpaper to sand down and smoothen the area. Next up, clean the area and then apply the primer and repaint the area.
7. Trim Marks
Did you notice some paint on your white trim? This is also an easy fix. If the paint is still wet you can get it off with a damp cloth. If the paint is already dry, use sandpaper to remove the paint mark, then get out your trim colour and repaint the area.
8. Lint Marks
Sometimes when we go to paint a wall, the roller or brush has lint or dust on it. This causes a problem since not only is the roller applying paint, but it’s also applying lint to your walls. If you notice this once the paint has dried, use the same technique we’ve been discussing throughout and lightly sand down the area, then prime, and repaint the walls.
