The Best Way To Get Rid Of Brush Strokes When Painting Your Walls

If you decide to save some money and take on the challenge of painting the interior of your home, you can definitely do a fantastic job. As a newbie DIYer, there are several things you'll need to prep: research the right type of paint to use, learn how to properly protect surfaces, and use organizing hacks to keep track of your paint. Because the end result really matters in painting, remember to also gather tips with nuances about how to create smooth work. For instance, it's pretty typical for inexperienced painters to leave visible brushstrokes around hard-to-manage spots, like the area surrounding windows. That's not what you want. Today's tip is to keep a small roller nearby without any paint on it that you can use to smooth out those pesky brush strokes while they're still wet.

That's the key to painting. For best results, show up completely prepared, work relatively quickly, and keep your eye peeled for areas that need triage, such as spills, bald spots, or visible, chunky brush strokes. If you pounce to fix the issue before the paint dries, you're golden.

You'll, of course, have the roller and paint you're using to coat the walls with color and the small brush you'll need to use near trim and doorways. What you'll also need standing by is a mini paint roller with no paint on it. This will be your smoothing tool, and it's the secret the pros use to get rid of brush strokes.

Wetting your paintbrush first helps reduce bristle marks. Use your brush to fill in all the places the full-sized roller won't be able to reach with precision, like around doors and windows, near the ceiling, and near the floor. Then, paint the entire wall with the large, paint-covered roller. Next, you'll immediately roll over the areas where you had used a brush using the mini paint roller. This creates a seamless painted surface. The final step is to make your last pass along the wall with the large paint roller aimed in one direction. Whether it's up and down or side to side, just keep the pattern consistent for a flawless finish. Remember, to make sure the brush strokes aren't visible, don't let the paint dry in between steps.