Avoid A Big Mess While Painting By Reusing An Old Bedroom Essential

Considering it's nearly impossible to get rid of dried paint from carpets and quite difficult to remove from hardwood, it's an absolute must to protect your floors before starting a painting job. While using painter's masking film is one way to keep your space mess free, it's a single-use product that can add up to significant costs if it's used often. Drop cloths are another great, and often reusable, option for protecting your floors and furniture while painting. But before you run out to buy anything, check to make sure you don't already have the perfect thing to keep your paint project tidy: an old bed sheet.

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There are a variety of great ways to repurpose old bed sheets, from turning them into a tablecloth to using them to protect plants from frost, so there's no reason to toss worn out sheets into the garbage. Not only is it satisfying and cost effective to give new life to your old bedding, but it's also a great way to reduce textile waste. Best of all, turning them into drop cloths for painting is extremely easy.

Using an old bed sheet as a drop cloth

Whether you're using an old sheet you already have on-hand or picking one up at a thrift store, you need to use it properly to protect your floors from paint. Make sure your bed sheet is large enough to fully cover the area where you are working. When using a worn out bed sheet, it's best to check for and tape over any holes or tears. If your bed sheet is especially threadbare, you may want to fold it in half to make it thicker and less likely to allow paint to seep through. You can even put an old shower curtain, another great drop cloth option, under it for additional protection.

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It's best to tape your drop cloth into place before you begin working, as well. This should prevent it from shifting or getting crumpled up as you work. If the sheet is still in relatively good shape by the end of your painting project, you can let the paint on it dry and then fold it up and store it for the next time you have a potentially messy project to take on.

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