How to Protect Your Floor from a Dripping Paint Can!

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In this post: Dripping paint can be scary, but there are ways to protect your floors. We’ll talk about 3 different ways you can protect your floors from paint can drips!

I’ve done quite a bit of painting walls in my days. I feel like I’m a painting diva at this point, and I’ve learned a ton about what to do when you’re painting walls or furniture or any project, really.

The scariest part of painting to me is the thought of getting it on the floors, whether they be carpet or hardwood.

So today, I’m sharing 3 quick tips for protecting your floors from paint can drips!

How to Protect Your Floors from a Dripping Paint Can

Sometimes, to be honest, I don’t use anything major to protect my floors. Once you get a ton of practice, you get really good at not dripping paint! But that’s still probably not the smartest idea, I’m sure.

1. Use a stiff drop cloth

Sometimes, it’s a ginormous pain to use a drop cloth, but if I’m going to use one, I use a stiff paper or fabric drop cloth.

Plastic drop cloths are the WORST. They get bunched up and will stick to you and your ladder. Boo, hiss.

2. Put a paper plate underneath your paint can

This is my favorite tip ever in the whole world of painting. If you have a drip it will roll right down the side and the paper plate will catch it. I swear I will stop and run to the store if I forget I’m out and start painting and don’t have any paper plates.

These Dixie Paper Plates are perfect because they are strong and have a big lip. They even get stuck a little when paint drips and then dries. Then when you move the paint can, the paper plate will just move with you. Sounds dumb, but it’s revolutionary.

3. Use a Shur-Line plastic paint can lid

I just started using these! They are awesome for not only pouring paint, but storing it as well. How awful are those metal lids for storing? Geez. If you’ve poured paint out of them, it dries and the lid won’t even go on properly.

These lids are ah-MAH-zing! Can’t live without them, yo.