Shortcuts For Sprucing Up Your Home (NAPSA)—It can be easy to spruce up your home—and keep costs from going through the roof. Try these tips: Water Stains If wet weather left its mark on your walls, follow these quick steps to repair the damage. 1. Where mold or mildew is present, kill and clean it with a mold-eliminating product found in most hardwareor paintstores. 2. Prime your walls with an oil- based stain-blocking primer. Be aware, though, that not all primers are designed to be stain- blockers. KILZ Odorless primer can be a good choice for indoor projects. Not only does it have less of an odor than other options, it’s also formulated to block tough stains including water marks, pet odors and nicotine. 3. Once your primer dries, add a fresh coatof color. Painting Tips Few things can improve the looks of a home as dramatically as a new paint job. Here are some ideas from the experts. Don’t Pass on the Primer. Most primers dry in an hour, but their benefits last for years. Plus, starting with a primed wall usu- ally means you'll need fewer coats of topcoat paint. It can also help ensure your topcoat color matches your paint chip. Primers such as KILZ Odorless and KILZ 2 are designed to cover surfaces including wood, drywall and masonry. Add a Splash of Color. Save time and moneyon painting projects by using paints that guarantee one-coat coverage. Ask your paint store to tint your primer with a color a few shades lighter than your topcoat color. That way, you won’t need to use as much topcoat when you paint, which saves both time and money. Mix It Up. When you’re painting a room that will require more than one gallon of topcoat paint, pour paint from each gallon into your painting tray. Because color can vary slightly from can to can, this ensures the color on your wall is uniform. Go Solo. If you’re in a time pinch, select a topcoat paint such as KILZ Casual Colors, which guarantees one-coat coverage. Do the Math. A gallon of paint typically covers 300-350 sq. ft. on smooth surfaces and 200300 sq. ft. on rough surfaces. For more expert paint ideas andtips, visit kilz.com.
