Tips for a Neater Paint Job: Step-by-Step Instructions and Pictures

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Move Furnishings for Easy Access to the Walls and Ceiling
Cramped working conditions lead to messy accidents. Every painter has stepped in a paint pan or kicked over a pail while squeezing a ladder past the couch. If you can’t move furniture and other big stuff completely out of the room, stack it up. Set upholstered chairs upside down on the sofa. Cover the dining room table-top with cardboard so you can set chairs on top of it. But don’t let your stack become an obstacle. Get out your ladder and roller and make a dry run to be sure you can easily reach all parts of the ceiling. In some cases, two smaller stacks with space for a ladder between them is better than one. Maintain a generous workspace of at least 3 ft. between the stack and the walls. Cover your furniture stack with plastic. Even if you’re careful, some drips and splatters are likely. A couple of bands of duct tape will keep the plastic in place and hold the stack together if you bump into it.