Tips to paint faster and easier

The No. 1 way to speed a paint job along is preparation. And that requires investing a little money and time upfront.

First, go out and buy yourself some good quality canvas drops at your local hardware store or home center, a small sanding block, masking tape, and a masking tool. This last is a handy machine that combines blue masking tape and a nice wide stretch of paper that, when applied to your doors and window sills, keeps them splatter-free.

Take the time to neatly mask all the openings in your room with the masking tool, and use the blue tape alone on your floor base molding, unless it is quite tall, in which case you may want the extra protection of the tape and paper combination.