In DIY

Top 5 Ways to Paint More Efficiently

Ready to paint your space? Get our tried & true advice on how to paint more efficiently–everything from room prep to our thoughts on ‘cutting-in’.

This post is created in partnership with Handy Products. Thank you for supporting brands I truly love and personally use.

title image, beige room being painted white, dark wood trim, black step ladder, handy products tray and pail, white dropcloth on floor,

We are off and running painting the upstairs apartment! If you’re just tuning in, our house is a duplex, and for the last 5 years, we’ve been renting it out (best decision we ever made as 1^st time home buyers!) But with both Ken and I working from home, and baby #2 arriving in less than two months, we’re at the point where we need more space. Thus, we aren’t renting it out any longer and instead living in our entire home.

white walls, white drop cloth on floor, husband and wife piggy back painting room, black step ladder, black cat walking around,

There’s nothing like the preeminent arrival of a baby to spark Tasmanian Devil-style motivation for wrapping up ALL projects and honey-dew lists ever discussed. Ever. Am I right?! The nesting bug is REAL, guys. With lots to do and not a lot of time in which to do it, Ken and I pulled together this quick, but thorough list of how we could paint our upstairs as efficiently as possible. These tips, which are a combination of pro-tips and personal experience, helped us put a big, satisfying check mark next to ‘Painting the Upstairs’ on our to-do list, just a little bit faster.

flay lay view of red paint tray with white paint, handy products tray and pail, white drop cloth, can of white paint and paint stick

1. Don’t Skip Prepwork

Wipe Down Trim (& Walls): It seems counter-intuitive, but dedicating time at the front end towards wiping down trim for dust and grime will save you time and headache in the long run. A quick wipe down with TSP results in crisper paint lines (tape adheres better) and better overall paint adhesion. I also suggest wiping down walls too, but since we’re talking efficiency here, trim takes top priority, as it usually takes the tape!

Protect Your Floors from Drips: In the same vein as wiping down walls and trim, use floor coverings to protect floors from inevitable drips. Dropcloths can be as fancy as plastic sheeting + tarps, or as simple as old (flat) bedsheets. Either way, they’ll save loads of clean-up time.

man in navy tshirt, jeans and white hat taping base trim, beige painted walls, white cloth drop cloth

2. Taping Trim vs Cutting-In

Many pros will tell you to only tape off horizontal surfaces (like baseboards) and use the Cut-In Method for vertical trim. (Cutting-In is a brush technique where you essentially freehand the paint line transition between paint colors, trim, or another surface.) If you have a steady hand and experience/practice with cutting-in, it really does save time.

However, if you’ve never attempted cutting-in, you may want to bite the bullet and tape your trim, as you’ll spend more time trying to master freehand-yet-crisp paint lines or fix wobbly ones than you would if you had taped everything from the start. My advice is to be realistic about your cutting-in capabilities and skill level.

man wearing blue jeans and sneakers, white hat and blue tshirt painting room with extension roller, white paint going on beige walls, red handy products paint tray, white drop cloth on floor, pane window open

3. What to Paint First for Maximum Efficiency

Paint trim first, then ceiling, then walls. When tackling walls, paint top to bottom so you can paint over drips as you work down to the bottom of the wall.

man with beard, navy tshirt and white hat painting trim white, beige walls, handy paint pail

4. Equip Yourself with the Right Tools

The Handy Paint Pail: Ken and I have used the Handy Paint Pail on countless interior paint projects, and as the name implies, it really is just super handy! The handle makes it easy to carry paint with you as you’re painting floor-to-ceiling or baseboards end-to-end. The magnetic brush holder on the inside lip, keeps your brush close-by and ensures idle drips stay inside the pail.

man kneeling holding red paint tray, handy products, white paint, white drop cloth

The Handy Paint Tray: The Handy Paint Tray ‘s thoughtful design makes it an incredibly helpful work buddy for painting more efficiently. It holds an ENTIRE gallon of paint and is super study with handles on both ends for easy maneuverability. Also, like the Handy Paint Pail, it has a magnetic brush holder making it great for both brush and roller painting.

I also love that Handy Products liners are made of 100% recycled materials, reducing environmental impact. Not to mention, they’re made in the USA + guaranteed for life.

beige room being painted white, man painting walls with roller extension

Choosing the Right Roller

If you have any sort of texture to your walls, I suggest using a ½” nap, high density knit roller. The ½” nap loads up nicely with paint and ensures good coverage.

Also, consider using a roller extension, even with standard height walls. An extension gives you much better leverage and pressure for rolling on paint, not to mention, there’s less bending over with each roller/paint re-load.

5. Cover Paint Trays & Vessels (Rather than Wash) Between Paint Sessions

elastic edge paint tray cover, red paint tray and pail, white drop cloth

Here’s hoping you efficiently wrap up your paint job in one concise session, but if you need to step away, whether it’s for a few hours or overnight, don’t go through the trouble of washing out your trays and rollers. Save and protect your paint with Handy Product’s Paint Covers. Their elastic edges conveniently hug trays, pails and buckets keeping paint ready-to-go until it’s time to paint again.

There you have it, folks! Hopefully you picked up a tip or two that will help you paint more efficiently on your next project!

Do you have a time-saving painting tip you swear by? Leave it in comments, so we can all learn from you. Happy Painting, Guys!