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You’re probably well-versed in the magical powers of a freshly-painted room: it can make a space look larger and brighter, it can change the entire mood of a room, and it can even increase your home’s value in the eyes of a potential buyer.
If you’re going to go to the trouble of painting a room, save yourself frustrations down the road by taking the time to do it properly. These tips might require a little extra effort, but you’ll eventually marvel at the professional quality of the paint job—that YOU did!
Get Equipped
You’re going to need more than just a paintbrush to get the job done. As you’re about to find out, preparing the wall is just as important as the actual painting process. Equip yourself with spackle, a putty knife, fine grit sandpaper, and a damp lint-free rag.
For the actual painting, you’ll need a paint can opening tool, a stir stick, an angled paintbrush, a small bowl or tray, a roller, roller covers, a roller extension pole (if you plan on painting the ceilings or higher walls), painter tape, and a drop cloth.
You can get plastic or canvas drop clothes: the pros recommend canvas, which are less slippery, are heavier (thus stay in place easier), and will absorb any small spills of paint (unlike plastic, which lets the paint sit on top, ready to be stepped in). If the room has hardwood, tile or vinyl flooring, use rosin paper to keep the canvas in place.
One more thing you’ll need: paint!
Prepare
Begin by preparing your room. Empty it as much as possible—a completely empty room is the ideal blank canvas. If there are large pieces of furniture that cannot be moved, push them towards the center of the room, away from the walls. Drape them with drop cloth.
Next, prepare the walls. Remove any hardware, like nails, electrical outlet covers, and so forth. Cover door knobs with plastic bags.
Use a scraper to remove any flaking paint. Now, it’s time to spackle. Any holes, cracks, or other imperfections should be filled with spackle, and sanded down once dried.
The last step is to wash the walls. Clean, non-greasy walls will result in a more professional looking paint job, so don’t skip this step! You can use water mixed with a mild dish washing detergent, or a wall-washing specific cleaning product (check out the selection at your local hardware store). Sponge your walls clean, and follow up with a rinse with water so that no residue is left behind. And now, your walls are ready!
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To Tape or Not to Tape?
If you’ve ever watched a pro paint a room, you might have noticed that they didn’t use any painter’s tape. Most professionals are experienced and steady-handed, so taping is an unnecessary step. If you’re new to the realm of painting a home, taping is not a bad idea.
Be sure to buy tape specific to painting. Apply it to create the lines within which you want to paint: along the ceiling, baseboards, and windows, for instance. Be sure to press the tape down firmly along the edges to create a nice, crisp line.
It’s All About the Primer
Anyone worth their weight in paint will tell you that priming is absolutely necessary for a good paint job.
Primer helps to hide dark colors; it camouflages permanent stains on the walls; it will make your new paint look better and last longer; and it will give the paint in your room a uniform appearance.
Drying Time
A perfect paint job is NOT about cutting corners. You absolutely need to let primer and paint dry fully and completely between coats. Follow the directions on the can: it should indicate roughly how long it will take to for the paint to dry.
Put the Paint Brush to Work
Begin by stirring the paint and decanting it into a small bowl or tray. Don’t forget to put the lid back onto the can!
Use your angled paintbrush to paint along the trim, the ceiling, corners, and other tricky spots. Dip your brush only about a third of the way into the paint.
Intuitively, you will want to stroke using the thickest part of the brush, but you’re best off rotating the brush and using the thin profile side. Pain in long, continuous strokes, and keep the strokes consistent: always go down to up or left to right, don’t mix it up and go back and forth.
Get Rolling
It’s time to get rolling!
First, make sure that your roller covers are a decent quality: low quality ones tend to shed the fuzzy material into the paint.
The trick to rolling is to work in 3 foot by 3 foot segments. Load your roller with paint, and paint a continuous “W” or “M” shape onto the wall, with each “limb” measuring roughly 3 feet. Without lifting your roller, fill in the blank space between the limb until the area is fully covered. Then move onto the adjacent space, starting a new 3 foot by 3 foot segment.
One coat is rarely enough; two coats is usually the sweet spot, but darker or brighter colors might require three coats. Remember to let each coat dry in between!
