I have been wanting to paint an accent wall in my room for sometime now. Once you start your paint job, inertia takes hold and you'll be done in the span of an afternoon. No joke! Luckily I grew up having my uncle teach me how to paint, so I'm not intimidated by it.

I like to equate painting walls to painting your nails. If you've never painted before, don't be scared to try it. Here are my simple painting tips for your walls to look they were painted professionally.

  1. It's shape up time, first! Spackle any holes from previously hanging photos. Fill the holes with spackle.  You might have to do this twice. Sand down the area so it's flush with the wall. This is KEY because if you don't do this well, it will look sloppy even after the final coat is done.
  2. Don't skip the base coat. Don't even think about skipping the priming step. You must prime your wall, even if there aren't any holes to spackle. It affects the final finish, so don't take any short cuts.
  3. Take care around the edges and be methodical with the roller. Don't drench your brush or roller in paint. You want to get even amounts of paint in all areas.
  4. Make sure to put a top coat on. You'll want to paint two coats of the wall color, especially if the color is dark. If you go over the first coat, you'll notice areas where paint didn't reach, so the second coat is quite crucial.

After you've spackled, these are the three American made painting products you'll need: Behr paint (made in California), Scotch's Painters' Tape and a Purdy Brush (made in Oregon).

image

Prep your walls by covering the edges of the area with Scotch's Painters' Tape. If you're really great at painting, you won't need to do this.

image_1

Use your Purdy brush to paint the edges. Be precious and don't drench the brush with paint or it will run. 

image_2

Pick your color and cover the roller completely with paint so you're ready to roll.

image_3It's seriously easy as one, two, three. Each coat dried in about 30 minutes, so I painted the wall in an afternoon.

Now that my room is painted, I had to spruce it up with some of my favorite American made products to make the room really come together. Whatcha think?

image_4

I hope you're feeling like you can paint on your own. Lucky for you, we're offering one reader the chance to win a LaCrosse comforter from The Company Store. The comforter is proudly made in the company's factory in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The winner will be able to customize the size, fill, and warmth of the comforter of their new LaCrosse comforter. {I have the Persian Blue one in the third row in medium warmth Primaloft.}

The Company Store is also offering USA Love List readers 20% off and free shipping from now until November 2, when coupon code USALOVE4 is entered at checkout. 

American Made Bedding From The Company Store

Click the +1 button for further instructions on each entry. This giveaway will close at midnight on Thursday, October 23. The winner will be randomly selected, verified for correct entry participation, and notified by email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you’ve already entered one contest on USA Love List, entering another will be even easier. Visit our Giveaways Page to find out about other active offers to join.

Disclosure: USA Love List received this product unconditionally for review purposes. Our opinions are always our own, and we aim to write fair and balanced reviews to promote only the very best of American-made products.