How to Fix Runs on the Wall After Painting

Adding a new coat of paint to your walls will give new life to a room. If you work too quickly, however, you might not spread the paint evenly and the paint will run down the wall. With any luck, you will notice the running paint as it happens and blend it to the wall with your roller. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. Drips of dried paint on your wall can be removed with just a few tools and a more careful paint job.

Razor blade
Sandpaper
Cloth
Roller
Paint

Instructions

- 1
  Press a razor blade against the wall, so that it is nearly parallel to the wall; the razor should be just slightly tilted so that the sharp end is pointed toward the wall. Scrape off any drip marks using the razor blade.
- 2
  Sand the area where you scraped off drips. Move in a circular motion as you sand and stop once the area is flush with the surrounding paint. Wipe down the wall with a damp cloth to remove any dust created from sanding.
- 3
  Apply new paint to the sanded part of the wall using a paint roller; rollers leave fewer marks on the wall. Paint more than just the sanded area -- blend paint into the wall that surrounds it by rolling the paint about 6 inches out in every direction. Blending the paint will make your fixes less noticeable. Wait for the paint to dry for at least two hours and apply a second coat, if necessary.
- 4
  Repaint the entire wall if, after the new paint dries, you can still see where you sanded and repainted the area affected by running paint. Use a paint roller to apply one thin coat of paint to the entire wall.

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