Covering Wall Blemishes

Clean your walls. Dust the walls from top to bottom with a duster. Squirt an all purpose cleaner on a dry towel and gently rub off blemishes such as marks and fingerprints.

Sand the edges of a blemish made from chipped paint or a hole, using sand paper to smooth it out. Rub a dry cloth over the sanded area to remove sand particles and paint chips.

Patch wall blemishes. Spread an even layer of spackle over the blemish with the bendable flat blade of the putty knife. Remove excess spackle with the flat edge of the putty knife. Apply one coat of spackle to small nail and screw holes and two to three coats of spackle to larger holes, dents and dimples in the wall. Allow 24 hours drying time between each coat.

Paint over the blemish with the same color paint as the rest of the wall. Flat, light-colored paint draws less attention to wall blemishes than shiny, dark hues. Sponge-paint the wall using a different color than the base paint wall color to create a decorative wall texture that hides surface blemishes.

Hang a decorative picture or shelf over an eye-level blemish. Hang a plant, drapes, lighting fixtures or candle sconces over blemishes located high on a wall. Place a plant or piece of furniture in front of a blemish that is low on a wall to reduce visibility.