How To Fix Different Painting Mistakes On Walls And More

Find Out How You Can Keep Your Vista, California Home Walls Looking Beautiful
Man painting over a question mark on a wall

Common painting mistakes on walls that need fixing are uneven paint, dried paint drips, roller marks, ceiling spots, brush marks, and others.

Find the rest and how to fix them all below-

I Spy…

“…a drip mark running down the wall,” growls David.

Michelle sighs and leans against the doorframe. “Great, another painting mistake. We should’ve found a better article on how to paint a wall. What, are we going to have to hire one of the local painting contractors to repaint the entire room?”

David shakes his head. “I’m not giving up that easily. We put too much time and effort into this painting project. Let’s at least look up how to fix painting mistakes on walls.” Michelle nods and gets out her phone.

The couple starts searching for how to fix a bad paint job on Google. After looking for a while, here are the different ways they find:

How To Fix Painting Mistakes

You can fix most painting mistakes on walls by sanding down the area, cleaning it, priming it, and then painting it again. Some painting mistakes happen off of walls, like when it gets into carpet. Most of these solutions are ones the average homeowner can do on their own.

1. Getting Rid Of Roller Marks And Brush Marks

Roller and brush marks are a common painting mistake on walls. They can make your walls look like a highway! 

Couple painting a wall using rollers

They usually happen when a brush or roller doesn’t maintain a wet edge while painting. Here’s how to fix this painting mistake on walls:

  1. Sand down the uneven areas until smooth*
  2. Clean the walls
  3. Prime
  4. Paint

Make sure to roll the paint out of the sides of the roller to prevent thicker edge lines.

*Patching may be necessary afterward. Be careful as it may take off underlying paint. It may be easier to patch the whole area.

2. Getting Paint Out Of The Carpet

You need to act fast! If the paint is still wet, do not scrub it. That will only grind it into the carpet fibers. Fixing this painting mistake depends on the paint and wetness.

For wet latex-based paint:

  1. Dab paint with a wet sponge or cloth until it comes up
  2. Dry with cloth
  3. Clean area with warm water and dishwasher detergent

For wet oil-based paint:

  1. Dab paint with sponge or cloth wetted with mineral spirits
  2. Consult a carpet cleaner (paint thinners can break down carpet glue)

For dried paint:

  1. Pour a bit of hot water and dish detergent onto the area
  2. Let it soften the paint
  3. Scrape out the chips

It may not clean all the paint chips out but it’ll get a lot of them.

3. Evening Out Uneven Paint

Paint can turn out uneven and leave a patchy look on your walls. You can fix this painting mistake by first letting the paint dry. Then, follow up with another coat. Repeat this until you get your desired result. Make sure the roller always has a wet edge.

Wall painting is easier with an 18-inch roller. It’s because you can quickly paint a larger area. You’ll pay more but the pro-looking job will be worth it.

4. Paint On Your Trim

Painting walls doesn’t always mean painting the trim too. Here’s how to fix it when paint accidentally gets on your trim:

  1. Sand
  2. Clean
  3. Touch up with trim paint

5. Taking Off Dried Paint Drips

Dried paint drips can make your walls look like they have frozen droplet trails on them. It usually happens when overloading brushes and rollers.

To fix this painting mistake you can scrape the drips off with a paint scraper or sand the area smooth, clean it with a damp cloth, and then repaint it. You’ll need a razor blade to remove dry paint drips.

Dried paint drips are a common painting mistake on walls

You can help prevent this painting mistake by keeping a cloth on you to wipe fresh spills or drips. Drop cloths are also great for preventing this.

6. Hiding Wall Patches

Sometimes wall patches can show through your paint. It doesn’t look good at all. You can hide them by using a small roller to apply primer to the area. Let it dry and then paint it.

You may need to use more than one coat. This can help match the texture and thickness of the paint around it.

7. “Popping” Bubbles On Your Walls

Some sort of moisture or heat problem is usually the culprit with this painting mistake. To fix it:

  1. Identify and fix the cause
  2. Scrape off bubbles
  3. Sand the area smooth
  4. Clean
  5. Prime
  6. Repaint
Paint bubbles are a common painting mistake on walls that needs fixing

8. Clearing Up Ceiling Spots

Paint is like sand- it can get EVERYWHERE.

If you see wet paint on your ceiling, spray clear window cleaner* on a brush and gently wipe the paint off. Dry spots will need touching up with a small brush.

*Window cleaner can remove more paint than you want so use it carefully

9. Smoothing Out Wrinkled Paint

Your walls shouldn’t look like a mastiff’s face (though they are cute).

Paint wrinkles happen when applying paint too heavily, there isn’t enough drying time between coats, or the painting was done in extreme temperatures. You can fix this by sanding the area down, then cleaning, priming, and repainting it.

10. Getting Rid Of Paint Tape Lines

Paint will sometimes come off with the tape if the tape’s left on the wall for too long. An hour is usually long enough. If you haven’t taken the tape off yet:

  1. Cut off the tape and any raised paint with a razor blade
  2. Use a sanding block to smooth the area
  3. Clean
  4. Prime
  5. Paint

11. Getting Paint Off The Windows

Don’t wipe it! This may spread it out and make it harder to remove.

The best way to fix this painting mistake is to take a razor blade and gently scrape off the paint at an angle. Doing this helps you not gouge into the glass. Clean off the razor blade before you use it each turn

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“Alright, let’s get to work on fixing these painting mistakes on our walls,” David says, cracking his knuckles. Michelle nods. “While you do that I’m going to see what else I can find out about house painting.”