DATE: Sunday, August 17, 1997               TAG: 9708160061

SECTION: HOME                    PAGE: G2   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: AROUND THE HOUSE 

SOURCE: MARY FLACHSENHAAR

                                            LENGTH:   55 lines

HOUSE: THESE TIPS LET YOU PAINT LIKE A PRO

NOTHING GIVES a room a quick makeover like paint. And you, too, can paint like a pro with tips from the current issue of Century 21 House & Home magazine.

Here are some suggestions for painting like a master house painter:

Start with good paint. There is nothing more expensive than a can of cheap paint, advises the magazine. Spending $10, $20 or even $30 extra per gallon almost always delivers better results and a longer-lasting paint job.

Prep all surfaces. Be sure that walls are clean and free of defects. Remove nails, scrape loose paint and spackle cracks. Sand the wall thoroughly and wipe clean.

Use a primer. A primer coat will reduce the amount of paint you'll have to apply, will enhance the look of your final paint job and will add considerably to the life of your handiwork.

Box your paint. If you are using a custom-color paint, one that has been mixed for you at the store, then it is a good idea to cross-mix or ``box'' your paint cans, to ensure consistent color throughout. Boxing can be done by pouring all of the paint into a five-gallon bucket, then mixing and returning it to individual cans.

Switch cans at corners. If you haven't boxed your paint and you are coming to the bottom of a can, stop at the corner of a room and begin the new wall with a new can. Different cans of the same paint don't always match exactly, but if they are on separate walls, no one will notice.

Harmonize trim and body paint. Add two or three tablespoons of the wall paint you use in any room to each gallon of trim paint. This will create greater harmony between the two. RECLAIM WASTED TIME

A story in the September McCall's magazine on how getting organized can add 24 days to your life each year contains this ``three-minute rule'': Don't ever spend more than three minutes looking for something. Instead, do what you would do if you had searched for an hour and still couldn't find what you were looking for. For example, wear another pair of earrings.

Filing household papers can save you 16 hours a year, says the article. Using a delivery service to have dry cleaning picked up and returned weekly equals 17 hours and 20 minutes a year.

Doubling recipes might save 52 hours a year and alphabetizing spices can convert to more than five hours of extra time annually, says the magazine. CALL AHEAD

Another piece of good advice in the get-organized category comes from the paperback ``Penny Pinching'' by Lee and Barbara Simmons (Bantam Books, 1997):

When shopping for an unusual item or a specific model, telephone ahead to see if the store has it. You'll save time and travel expenses.

Mary Flachsenhaar

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