A couple of weeks ago I was able to go on an amazing whirlwind trip with Behr. I learned a ton, will be a Behr believer for life, and enjoyed meeting and interacting with all the other bloggers – but the part I know you’ll be interested in the most is the breakout session of the tour where we learned How to Paint a Wall. These pros know what they’re talking about – I feel like I knew how to paint, but I came back empowered and filled with new knowledge that I’m ready to put to the test!
I took vigorous notes because I thought you readers would need me to bring back that info – all those paint tips from the experts!
Before we get to the painting tips, a quick recap on the trip. It was great because California was perfect warm weather compared to the midwest. The first evening there we spent time touring and relaxing at the Sunset Magazine Idea House – the whole thing was painted with Behr paint. I loved the texture treatment on this playroom wall and want to recreate it somewhere in our new house:
The yard was small but really well landscaped to make it an amazing space. I was drawn to this rock planter – so cool!
The next day we learned all about Behr – I was so impressed with the passion and love of product that everyone had – I am sold through and through. We talked color (what a fun job!) and even had a hands-on craft session over lunch.
That afternoon we toured the plant and learned more about the paint making process. It was super interesting! I wish I could have brought all of you along. We also met with Research and Development and saw tons of high-tech testing that they do to ensure that their paint is the top of the top.
One of the sessions was a demonstration of How to Paint a Wall – and here is what I learned:
How to Paint a Wall – Tips from the Experts:
–TOOLS are important. You need the right tools. Don’t skimp – you’ll need:
-roller pole – it lengthens your stroke and makes for a smoother wall roll
-locking frame – this is on my to-buy list! instead of grabbing the saturated roller and tugging forever, you knock it against something and it pops off – super cool. It also helps to not have the paint puddle on the ends of the roller.
-quality roller cover – I knew this one! Don’t buy the cheapo roller covers – they fuzz all over your wall.
-tape off your roller cover – get a really long piece of tape, sticky side up, and roll your roller cover up and down it – takes fuzz off even the nice roller
-brush – if using a brush, you’ll want it to be a synthetic one. When you use it, only dip it 1/3 the way up
–LOAD YOUR ROLLER. I always thought I loaded my roller enough, but seeing the pros do it, I know I haven’t even come close. They said it should take about 5 minutes of rolling the roller in and out of the paint in the tray. It needs to be saturated all the way into the core of the roller. This was like an ah-ha lesson for me. Slowly work the paint in until you’re at a point where it can soak up and release paint.
–WALL SECTION – work in a section about shoulder width apart, floor to ceiling. I don’t normally work floor to ceiling but it makes complete sense.
–KNOCK DOWN LAP LINES – as you move from one section to another, lightly go over the lines that are left from the edge of the roller – I don’t know why I never thought to do this before!
–STANCE – be sure to stand with a straight back and just use your arm to move the roller up and down
Good tips, right?! I was so impressed with the Behr Marquee paint line – it’s brand new and the only paint-and-primer that claims one coat interior coverage. And it’s true – – we all know how hard it is to get red to cover anything. Well they used red against several tones to show that yes, it’s one coat coverage! See – –
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See, impressive! Behr Marquee paint works because it has more colorants than any other paint – which means it’s brighter and more durable. The colors available in the line have been specifically formulated for one-coat coverage, and there are tons of colors to choose from – it won me over for sure!
Thanks to Behr for the amazing trip and the amazing company. They care about their product and care about their consumers – that’s the biggest message I took away from my trip. They even have a help line if you need help picking a color for your room, etc – talk about customer service!
Marty Walden says
I’m glad you gals all had a great time. I’m sorry I missed it!