Painting: How to protect your house

Painting a room can be hard work, but very rewarding - if you get it right. The last thing you want is for paint to cover the surfaces that you intend to keep unpainted. Read our basic tips for protecting your home from errant splatters and spillages.

Painting preparation

Before you start painting, make sure you have enough drop sheets. These are available from most hardware shops in either a heavy canvas or plastic for around $20 each.

It's not a good idea to just use household sheets because if you have a big spill chances are the paint will soak straight through to the flooring below. Drop sheets are also important for furniture. Paint splatter from rollers is par for the course, so make sure you have enough drop sheets to cover precious items.

Preparing areas that are close to the painted areas is also important. Masking tape around window frames prevents paint from getting where it shouldn't, and also creates a nice clean finish when it's removed. Remember when applying the masking tap to do it as straight and evenly as possible, as this will show up later on.

Removing paint from furniture

If you do get paint splatters on furniture make sure you wipe it off with a damp cloth as soon as possible. If it does dry it will be much harder to remove, especially from varnished surfaces. If you are using an oil-based paint, be very careful about using solvents and other harsh chemicals in paint removal. They can easily damage flooring and other varnished surfaces, as well as remove the colour from carpet.

If the paint does dry on hard flooring or furniture it might come up relatively easily with a dull-edged scraper or keycard.

If the paint spills into crevices, try to remove as much as possible while it's still wet with cotton buds or toothpicks. The more you get up while it's still wet, the easier the clean up will be, but you can also try this trick if the paint has dried.

Paint in carpet and furnishings

Here we're getting into the tricky area of paint spillage. If you are using a water-based paint, then start absorbing the paint as soon as possible with paper towels (so have some ready when you prepare for the paint job). Get a bucket of water and keep adding a cup full at a time to ensure the paint doesn't begin to dry. Keep absorbing the liquids until the paper towel comes up clean.

If you are using an oil-based paint, you might need to add a little turpentine to your mix, but follow the same procedure as above. Turps is gentler than solvents on carpet fibres, but try a test patch first if you have darker carpet. Again, steer clear of too many solvents unless you've patch tested it first.

Things get tougher if the paint has dried in the carpet, but with perseverance, a toothbrush and some small pliers you can gently work the paint out of the carpet. It will take time, but stick with it.

Some people suggest cutting paint gently out of the fibres if all else fails, and if most of the paint is sitting on top of the fibres, this could work for you. A word of warning, though - just be careful your carpet doesn't end up with a bad haircut!