Home is Where The He(art) is…With These 7 Painting Hacks

Who doesn’t love a good accent wall? Starting a new project around the house is always a headache – especially when any paint is involved. Instead of just throwing some paint on the wall and calling it a day, why not add some texture and some more originality to your house?

These painting hacks don’t necessarily have to translate onto a wall in your house. Try starting out with some pre-stretched canvases; they can be fun additions to a dorm room or office space. Start small and see how you like it.

Think of this as a challenge for your creative mind and to help get those juices flowing. Search around the house for some random items – the junk drawer is a great place to start. Some heavy duty tape and bubble wrap can create an undersea vibe with a “bubble texture.” Or, instead of using painter’s tape to keep your baseboards free of paint, try making a bold geometric design with the tape and paint the shapes in multiple colors.

Bubble Texture

Remember all of that old bubblewrap from your last Amazon package? Instead of throwing it out right away, try taping it to a paint roller and use it to create some fun texture on a wall.

Materials:

• bubble wrap
• paint color of  your choice
• rolling paintbrush and tray
• heavy-duty double-sided tape

Instructions:

1. Make sure you have a piece of bubble wrap that covers the length of the paintbrush roller.
2. Apply a piece of heavy-duty double-sided tape to one end of the bubble wrap.
3. Wrap the rolling paintbrush in the bubble wrap and secure with the tape.
4. Dip the roller in your paint and roll on the wall.

Drippy Lines

Never know how to get those perfect vertical lines? Skip the annoying amounts of tape and constant remeasuring. You can let gravity do the work and have it pull the paint down the wall for you. No more headaches!

Materials:

• plastic syringe (without the needle)
• paint color(s) of your choice

Instructions:

1. Fill a syringe with the paint color of your choice.
2. Hold the tip of the syringe against the wall or whatever surface you are working with and press down on the handle.

Bold Geometrics

There’s no right or wrong way to achieve these bold, geometric shapes. You can search around on Pinterest for fun designs people have created, or throw caution to the wind and let your creative mind go wild. Either way, we can all agree there’s nothing more satisfying than pulling off tape at the end of a paint project.

Materials:

• painter’s tape
• paint color(s) of your choice
• paintbrushes

Instructions:

1. Map out your shapes and design with the painter’s tape on the wall or whatever surface you’re working with.
2. Paint in the shapes.
3. Remove the tape once the paint is dry.

Cross-Hatch Pattern

Who else use to doodle these cross-hatch patterns during school as a kid? You’ll need to go search through your junk drawer for some old rubber bands for this hack.

Materials:

• wooden block
• rubber bands
• paint color(s) of your choice

Instructions:

1. Wrap the rubber bands around the wood block so you have even lines.
2. Dip the block into some paint and transfer to a wall or different surface.
3. Rotate the block to change up the pattern.

Brushed Effect

Try running a cleaning scrub brush through some wet paint for some added texture. You can get creative with the strokes for added texture and design.

Materials:

• paint brush roller
• paint color of your choice
• scrub brush

Instructions:

1. Paint the wall or surface of your choice.
2. While the paint is still wet, run the cleaning brush through the paint to create the streaks.