Thinking of Painting? Here are some tips.

• To calculate how much paint you need, multiply height by length of wall, divide by 250 (average amount of square feet covered per gallon) to determine how many gallons of paint you need.


• Wash walls with soft sponge dipped in water with a little dish soap added to it.


• Wash wood with a soft cloth dipped in 70 proof rubbing alcohol. Test to be sure it doesn't harm the finish.


• Put toothpicks in any nail holes you want to keep for hanging items once the job is done. Fill the balance of the holes with spackle.


• Add 4 drops of vanilla extract to a quart of latex or 1 tablespoon to a gallon of paint to help cut the odor of latex. If the paint is white or ivory, use one drop of lemon extract per gallon.


• Use chapstick on the inside of glass around the edges to help in removing the paint when painting next to the glass.


• If you apply rubber cement to the hinges on doors, when paint gets on them, it is easy to remove it.


• You can use plastic wrap around knobs etc. to protect from paint.


• Spray face, arms, hands with Pam cooking spray to make cleanup easier.


• Add 1/2 cup fabric softener to a gallon of water to clean brushes or rollers of latex paint. Simply dip the brush or roller into the mixtures and the paint will magically come off settling in the bottom of the container. It is a good idea to clean your brush every two hours or so to make cleanup easier.


• Slide your paint tray into a heavy-duty plastic trash bag. Press the bag into the corners and use tape to hold in place. When the job is finished, simply turn the bag inside out and toss it in the garbage.


• To seal the edges of your tape and keep paint from "bleeding" underneath it, take a tapered plastic tool and quickly run it along the edge. This heats up the waxy tape and helps it to seal, thus keeping the paint from seeping under it.