How to Save Money When Painting Your Apartment

You already know the easiest way to save money when painting your apartment: don’t hire professionals and paint it yourself. Once your landlord has given you permission to paint the walls, you’re ready to decorate your apartment in a way that perfectly suits you. Save money while you paint by following a few helpful tips:

Use Bedsheets for Drop Cloths

Going to a hardware store and spending money on drop cloths is a waste of money when you consider that you’re just going to be getting these cloths dirty. Instead, use old bed sheets or go to a thrift store and stock up on old bedsheets (just to use for painting your apartment). You can also cover the floor with old papers and shower curtains.

Get Recycled Paint

Paint usually can’t be thrown out in the trash, so a lot of it is brought to your local hazardous waste recycling center. The paint is usually perfectly usable, so the center will hold sales to get rid of it. Before you begin painting your apartment, you can stock up on partially used paint cans for incredibly low prices at these sales.

Look for Paint Mistints

If you can’t find recycled paint, you should be able to find paint mistints at a hardware store. Just ask the manager if there are any paints in the backroom that have been returned because the color is a little off. They will likely offer it to you at a fraction of the original cost.

Skip the Painter’s Tape

Although painter’s tape can help you paint in straight lines and stop you from painting on adjacent walls, it’s an unnecessary expense when painting your apartment. Instead, you can trust your steady hand and use a one-inch angled paintbrush on the edges–a small brush that makes it difficult to paint over the line you want.

Or you can rub petroleum jelly on any surface you don’t want the paint to touch. Excess paint will go on the petroleum jelly but the jelly will be simple to rub off once the surrounding paint is dry. Don’t use any other kind of tape, though, as other tape could cause damage to the apartment wall.

Make Your Paint Brushes Last Longer

One way that expenses can quickly add up is buying new paintbrushes and rollers every time your current brushes get too much caked-on paint. Paint can cake on brushes very quickly, even if you paint in the morning, head out on some errands and intend to finish painting later that night. Anytime you take a break from painting, use dish detergent to thoroughly clean your brush. Follow up with shampoo and conditioner to keep your brush’s bristles flexible and strong.

Painting your apartment can be an inexpensive way to decorate your apartment, just as long as you know a few tips to stretch your budget further. When you paint the walls, you can completely change the look of your apartment to suit your own tastes–without spending too much money to do so.