Touchup Paint Kit

By Ken Hoyt

Fresh paint is transforming. Spotless walls make the whole house look cleaner. But then life happens. Walls are smudged. Baseboards attract scuffs. Doorjambs get nicked. Suddenly your walls have developed a vaguely antiqued look.

The secret to the everlasting fresh paint job is to do a little fast and frequent maintenance. I find that any task made easy and convenient will get a lot more of my attention.

#1 chore: get rid of the gallon-sized bucket. Transfer leftover paint into clean re-purposed glass jars (condiment-sized is great). By reducing the amount of air that comes in contact with the surface of the paint you’re stalling the aging process.

Once the paint is in jars get a label on it… fast! Include the room name if you have a list of paint info elsewhere. If you’re just getting started with organizing your home’s palette I advise more specific labeling, including the name of the paint, the sheen and the date.

Make a kit with your colors in the newly labeled bottles, a few foam brushes, and perhaps one artist brush. Brown paper bags make great mini-tarps, and they’re free. It’s also good to include some blue painter’s tape and a copy of your paint schematic.

Put your newly assembled paint kit in a small box or basket and stow it near your housekeeping tools and products. That way when you see a little problem you can attack it before it becomes a big one!

For more tips like this one check my blog

Tagged:
how-to maintenance paint organize thrift

August 02, 2007

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About: My small business, Interior Advocate, provides design solutions for interiors. And I write about living...