Paint Odor
By: Nexstar Staff
Updated: February 2, 2012
Do you love the thought of repainting the inside of your house, but you can't stand the thought of your house smelling like paint for days on end? Well here are a few quick tips that may help.
First of all, try adding a few drops of vanilla extract to the paint, this will help get rid of the paint smell as you paint. And then, once you've finished painting try taking a large onion and cutting it in half. Then place it in a pan of water. The onion will absorb the odor in a short of time. Or you can try adding one tablespoon of ammonia to a pan of water. You will want to put this in the middle of the room and leave it over night. If you try these tips, the paint odor should disappear and you can enjoy your freshly painted room that much sooner.
Remember preparation is important. If you plan on painting the walls of your home you don't want to just slap some paint on, you will need to prep your surface properly so that your do it yourself chore will look like a professional did it.
To prep the walls you will need:
Spackle (compound) to fill in dents and small holes from nails.
Fine-grit sandpaper (100 - 120-grit silicon carbide) to sand the spackling compound once it is dry
Detergent and ammonia or tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) to remove greasy stains and other tough stains.
Primer (especially if you are painting a light color over a dark color) or adhesive pad Sizing (for wallpapering)
The tools you will need include:
Plenty of drop clothes to cover floors and furniture and shrubbery if you are painting the exterior of your home
Ladders
Buckets
Paint edger
Brushes, 4", 3", and 11/2"
Angled sash brushes, 1 1/2" and 2"
Roller pans with screens or liners
Roller covers with appropriate naps
Roller handle
Roller extender
Paint guide
Materials for Painting
Masking tape, 2" wide
Newspaper
Adhesive pad or primer
Paint thinner (with oil-based paints)
Aluminum foil
Plenty of Rags
Take time to caulk all joints, cracks and seams in the surface before painting. This is easy and quick with a caulking gun and caulking cartridges. Don't start painting until the caulking is finished and thoroughly dried.
If you are planning to paint the exterior of your home, before you start, check around the windowpanes for loose or missing putty. Replace the putty in these areas before starting the painting job. Use a good grade of putty and apply it according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Always clean the surface to be painted. If you are repainting the exterior of your home, use a wire brush, sanding block or power sander to remove loose paint and grime before applying the primer coat. If you try to cut corners and save time by failing to clean the surface, you'll likely end up with trouble later. Use detergent to clean the surface of your interior walls. Make sure the surface is completely dry before applying paint.
Fill in any cracks or large holes appearing on the surface with wood putty or spackling compound before starting the painting job. The putty should have the texture of paste. Allow time for the wood putty or spackling compound to dry before sanding and then applying the primer coat. Use a special V-shaped putty knife for puttying along a window sash. This special tool is inexpensive and helps you do a professional-looking job much faster and easier.
If you need to remove a heavy build-up of old paint, you may want to consider renting or buying a heat gun. A heat gun is much like a hand held hair dryer, only it generates far more heat and concentrates it to a smaller steadier stream. Use a long-handled scraper to keep your fingers away from the heat as you work be sure to follow directions carefully if you leave the hot air blowing on one spot too long you run the risk of burning the surface.
For your inside walls use a sanding block and a fine grit of sandpaper to sand over the holes you have filled with spackling compound. If you are painting outside, use your power sander with a fine grit for smoothing rough spots before painting. Or you may want to consider purchasing a sanding wheel drill attachment for your drill to make sanding much easier. A wire brush attachment for your power drill is a great tool for removing rust and scale from metal.
Painting the Right Way
For best results when painting exterior surfaces, first, dip the paintbrush into the can to load the bristles about halfway with paint. Never dip more than half of the brush into the paint. After loading half the bristles with paint, touch the brush lightly to the surface at several points to apply spots of paint (A). After applying the spots of paint, use long leveling brush strokes to smooth out the spots
(B). Finish each area with back and forth motions and zigzag strokes
(C). A little practice with a brush will enable you to complete a professional-looking painting job with minimal effort.
First of all, try adding a few drops of vanilla extract to the paint, this will help get rid of the paint smell as you paint. And then, once you've finished painting try taking a large onion and cutting it in half. Then place it in a pan of water. The onion will absorb the odor in a short of time. Or you can try adding one tablespoon of ammonia to a pan of water. You will want to put this in the middle of the room and leave it over night. If you try these tips, the paint odor should disappear and you can enjoy your freshly painted room that much sooner.
Remember preparation is important. If you plan on painting the walls of your home you don't want to just slap some paint on, you will need to prep your surface properly so that your do it yourself chore will look like a professional did it.
To prep the walls you will need:
Spackle (compound) to fill in dents and small holes from nails.
Fine-grit sandpaper (100 - 120-grit silicon carbide) to sand the spackling compound once it is dry
Detergent and ammonia or tri-sodium phosphate (TSP) to remove greasy stains and other tough stains.
Primer (especially if you are painting a light color over a dark color) or adhesive pad Sizing (for wallpapering)
The tools you will need include:
Plenty of drop clothes to cover floors and furniture and shrubbery if you are painting the exterior of your home
Ladders
Buckets
Paint edger
Brushes, 4", 3", and 11/2"
Angled sash brushes, 1 1/2" and 2"
Roller pans with screens or liners
Roller covers with appropriate naps
Roller handle
Roller extender
Paint guide
Materials for Painting
Masking tape, 2" wide
Newspaper
Adhesive pad or primer
Paint thinner (with oil-based paints)
Aluminum foil
Plenty of Rags
Take time to caulk all joints, cracks and seams in the surface before painting. This is easy and quick with a caulking gun and caulking cartridges. Don't start painting until the caulking is finished and thoroughly dried.
If you are planning to paint the exterior of your home, before you start, check around the windowpanes for loose or missing putty. Replace the putty in these areas before starting the painting job. Use a good grade of putty and apply it according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Always clean the surface to be painted. If you are repainting the exterior of your home, use a wire brush, sanding block or power sander to remove loose paint and grime before applying the primer coat. If you try to cut corners and save time by failing to clean the surface, you'll likely end up with trouble later. Use detergent to clean the surface of your interior walls. Make sure the surface is completely dry before applying paint.
Fill in any cracks or large holes appearing on the surface with wood putty or spackling compound before starting the painting job. The putty should have the texture of paste. Allow time for the wood putty or spackling compound to dry before sanding and then applying the primer coat. Use a special V-shaped putty knife for puttying along a window sash. This special tool is inexpensive and helps you do a professional-looking job much faster and easier.
If you need to remove a heavy build-up of old paint, you may want to consider renting or buying a heat gun. A heat gun is much like a hand held hair dryer, only it generates far more heat and concentrates it to a smaller steadier stream. Use a long-handled scraper to keep your fingers away from the heat as you work be sure to follow directions carefully if you leave the hot air blowing on one spot too long you run the risk of burning the surface.
For your inside walls use a sanding block and a fine grit of sandpaper to sand over the holes you have filled with spackling compound. If you are painting outside, use your power sander with a fine grit for smoothing rough spots before painting. Or you may want to consider purchasing a sanding wheel drill attachment for your drill to make sanding much easier. A wire brush attachment for your power drill is a great tool for removing rust and scale from metal.
Painting the Right Way
For best results when painting exterior surfaces, first, dip the paintbrush into the can to load the bristles about halfway with paint. Never dip more than half of the brush into the paint. After loading half the bristles with paint, touch the brush lightly to the surface at several points to apply spots of paint (A). After applying the spots of paint, use long leveling brush strokes to smooth out the spots
(B). Finish each area with back and forth motions and zigzag strokes
(C). A little practice with a brush will enable you to complete a professional-looking painting job with minimal effort.
