Keep Paint Off Hardware With Foil and Tape

Removing every doorknob, hinge, and outlet cover before painting is the pro way — but for a quick one-room job, wrapping the hardware is faster and nearly as clean.

How to do it

• Tear off a square of aluminum foil and mold it tightly around doorknobs, hinges, and towel bars. Foil grips itself and stays put without adhesive.
• For outlet and switch covers, two minutes with a screwdriver beats taping around them — remove the cover plates, tape over the outlet itself, paint, and replace.
• Pull all the foil off as soon as the paint is dry to the touch.

Foil also wraps a paint roller or brush airtight between coats, so you can skip washing them during a two-day project.