Check Out These Peel-and-Stick Paint Samples (Plus Other Painting Innovations)
Updated: Dec. 18, 2021A new way to see paint samples, plus seven more tips, tools and apps that make choosing a paint color, and executing a solid paint job, easier.
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Peel-and-Stick Paint Samples
Samplize is revolutionizing how we see paint samples. Literally.
You can choose any Benjamin Moore, Farrow and Ball or Sherwin-Williams paint colors. Then, Samplize applies two coats of the color (two coats!), by roller, to a peel-and-stick wallpaper that is thin enough to show any wall texture underneath. Stick it to your wall and move it around as many times as you want, to see it in different light, so you can make a confident color decision.
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$5.95 per sample; ships within 24 hours.
App-ly Paint Samples
Paint My Place is a free app created independently of any paint brand. It allows users to upload a photo of the room or space they want to paint, then choose from thousands of paint colors across a variety of brands. Get a virtual paint sample on the go. You can email your list of colors to your painter or interior designer, or simply pull it up when you get to the paint store. Check out these tips for painting almost anything.
Free, paintmyplace.mobi
Patch It Through
One you’ve picked a color from your paint samples, it’s time to prep the walls for a fresh coat. Make your spackle-and-sand project foolproof with Dap Drydex, which goes on pink and turns white when it’s dry and ready to sand. Bonus: No priming required before you paint.
Find the best wall paint colors for your interior walls.
$9, The Home Depot
Climb the Ladder
This one’s a literal lifesaver. When you’re painting up high, on an uneven surface, or on stairs, getting up on a tall ladder can be dangerous. Enter Pivit, a ladder-stabilizing tool that also acts as a ladder jack, ladder shelf, ladder stand-off and a tool carrier. Pro painters swear by it, and you can use it in any other home improvement projects involving a ladder, too.
$109, provisiontools.com
Thread the Needle
Sometimes you need to get into tight spaces, behind toilets, radiators, or other weird quirks. Taping and/or putting dropcloths down are often impossible. Removing them? Not an option. Here’s a gimmick that gets great reviews: Jimmy Sponge Sticks. Load one up with paint and slide it down the wall, avoiding drips and drops on your fixtures and furniture—but still getting an even paint application. For more helpful tools, we have a list of pro-recommended painting products for DIYers.
$13, amazon.com
Get a Grip
Have sore joints, trouble hanging onto the brush handle, or just want to reduce stress on your body? The Aqua Eazyhold can help take some of the pressure off. Easily attach the silicone band to your brush (or any other tool) and drop it in the dishwasher when you’re done for easy cleanup.
Indoor painting tips & techniques.
Photo Finish
This paint additive—good for latex and acrylic paints—will help your DIY paint job look even more professional. And Floetrol is like WD-40 in that it does a bit of everything, from making your paint stronger to eliminating brush and roller marks to making spray-paint jobs go more smoothly.
A veteran painting contractor shares his secrets on how to paint a room fast, with first-rate results.
$14/gallon, homedepot.com
Touch Up Tool
The Slobproof Fillable Touch-Up Paint Brush Pens are a small tool with big impact: Use the included syringes to fill the vacuum-sealed pens to store enough paint to touch up the inevitable marks, scuffs and chips that happen no matter how careful you are. The pens have a twist-dial to control paint flow and a cool brush to help feather out the repairs. Paint lasts for seven years in the pen, according to the manufacturer!
The best tips for cutting in paint.
$10 for two, Slobproof
Fresh Coat
Paint chips, scuffs and dings don’t just happen to walls—they also happen in parking lots…to your cars. Heirloom Traditions Restore Coat is a “flexible, non-cracking, self-leveling paint” that works on your car’s exterior, as well as other recreational vehicles. You can change the interior color, too, and even paint canvas convertible tops. Comes in 9 colors.
Car paint repair: get touch up painting done in 4 quick steps.
