Painting a room can seem like a daunting task but it's totally worth all the work in the end. For me, seeing the steps all laid out helps make a task seem less overwhelming. And so I bring you a step-by-step guide for painting a room:
What You Need
Materials
Paint of your choosing
Painters tape
Paint roller and refill brush
Paint brushes for detail and touch up
Paint tray
Drop cloth (optional)
Rags for clean-up and oopses
Tools
Ladder
Flat head screwdriver
Instructions
Before you start painting, make sure you have plenty of fresh air in the room. Open windows and, if necessary, have a fan blowing out of the room.
1. Move furniture out of the room to be painted. For large furniture that cannot be removed, move to the center of the room and cover with a drop cloth.
2. Wash/vacuum the walls to be painted. It may seem like an unnecessary step but you'd be surprised how much dirt/pet hair/dust hangs out on the walls of your home.
3. Fill holes in the walls from nails and screws with a patching compound.
4. While the patching compound dries, apply painters tape to protect trim (and anything else you don't want painted). Taping may seem like a pain in the neck but it's totally worth it. There are also edging tools that claim to eliminate the need to tape but I haven't had much luck with them.
5. After the patching compound has dried, smooth over with fine sandpaper. Remove excess dust by vacuuming and wiping the patched area with a damp cloth.
6. Remove outlet and switch plates.
7. And now, after all that prep work, you finally get to paint! Pour a generous portion of paint into the tray, place a new roller refill on your roller, and get to work!
8. Using the roller, apply the paint to the wall as evenly as possibly. Paint as closely into the corners as you can with the roller.
9. After all the walls are covered, go back with a paint brush and touch up in corners and other hard-to-reach areas you couldn't get with the roller.
10. Despite the fact that many paints promise one-coat coverage, I've never been able to achieve it. While waiting for the paint to dry between coats, store your paint tray, roller, and brushes in plastic bags. This will keep the paint from drying on your tools.
11. Apply second coat of paint.
12. After all paint has dried, carefully remove tape. Use a small detail brush to touch up any areas around the tape that may need it. If paint has collected in the nooks and crannies of your taping, use an Xacto knife to cut the tape and lift edges from the walls.
13. Reinstall the outlet and switch plates, move your furniture back into the room, and start accessorizing with your new paint color!
You can see the transformation of this project in an earlier post: Before & After: From Disaster to Delightful in 2 Days
Additional Notes: After all the painting and touch-up is completed, pour your leftover paint into jars for later touch-up work.
Images: Jason Loper
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Couple of things...
1) KUDOS on telling people to remove plate switches. But I imagine everyone on this site already knows that (if only some of my friends did)
2) I always thought you were supposed to trim first and then do the walls with the roller?
I'm in the process of painting every room in a house I just bought. I HIGHLY recommend a paint pad designed for edging in lieu of a trim brush. The kind I've been using has two small wheels on one edge that butt up against the trim and eliminates the need for painters tape, and is faster and leaves a more even finish than a brush.
@MRSkeller: You are correct. Also, whether cutting in with a brush or a pad (love those things!) you should always keep a *wet edge* so the paint blends seamlessly where brush/pad and roller meet.
I agree with cutting in first. The brush doesn't always give a smooth coverage so being able to go as high up with the roller after makes all the difference. Some other advice I'd like to add to the mix:
1. Don't assume you can paint! There's a reason there are professionals. If you've never done it before, be patient, ask advice and have someone help with the trim to prevent your ceilings being covered in paint. It is much harder to paint a ceiling than most people realize.
2. Paint in W's. With the roller make W's on the wall over and over for even coverage. Make sure the roller is saturated for the best possible coverage.
3. Make sure you have enough paint! A gallon of paint is said to cover 500 square feet but keep in mind you may have to do 2 or 3 coats depending on the colour, which cuts down how much you'll be able to stretch one gallon. Ask at the paint store after measuring the room so you don't run out. It's better to buy a bit more than you need than to run out and have to get a different person mix the next can of paint (it may not match exactly).
4. When patching up holes, keep in mind that patching and sanding a minimum of 5 times makes for the smoothest fill. It is hard work so don't expect to be able to patch, sand and paint in one day! (It always baffles me how people paint entire apartments in one day.)
Oops, #3: One gallon typically covers 400 sq. ft.
I agree with discerning, and with CD. Cut in first, and also keep a wet edge--I go back and forth between the paint brush/pad and the roller so that it all looks seamless.
I have heard somewhere that it is better to remove the tape after you are done painting and before it dries. This is suppose to prevent the tape from removing some of the paint that has dried to it.
I thought you were supposed to remove the painters tape while the paint is wet? That way it doesn't peel up from the wall.
I've done alot of interior painting and I stopped using tape a while ago. It's not worth the time. Get a good angled tip brush and paint the edges and corners with no tape. It takes some practice, but it's much faster than taping and gives better results.
Also, I do the edges and corners first BEFORE filling in with the roller
I painted every room in my house. Some twice. Now I use a painter. Tape off when paint is wet.
I've always removed the tape before it dries, because otherwise it certainly takes little chips off the paint.
I agree about the tape being more trouble than it's worth... IF you are a really good and accurate painter! I tend to be a really messy painter, and I like to use the tape. Last time I painted, my mom (who is a very neat painter) did the cutting in, and I did the rolling, and I still got my paint on the trim.
A trick I learned from my dad-- if you have to paint each coat days apart for some reason, you can stick the used roller in the freezer. That way you don't have to bother cleaning it or waste a new roller each time. Within a couple of minutes of the new coat, it will warm right back up again. Also works for paint brushes, if you're just feeling lazy.
I agree; cut in FIRST
Secondly - forgo that crappy blue painters tape and invest in a couple of rolls of Frog Tape, especially if you have textured walls!
I just painted the pine-plank floor in my bedroom, and not only was it difficult & messy, but I used three times as much primer & paint as a professional. I'm hiring the guy who Dryloked my basement to do the rest of the room.
LOVE the after photo! I just painted my bedroom and what a difference! I always do the cutting in first...
Step 2. Wash/vacuum the walls to be painted: I have lots o' pet fur and am targeting some pitiful dark "panelling" (1/4" veneer") that was "Liquid Gold"-ed to death - any suggestions of what to clean it with, or should I just go straight to Liquid Sander (recommended by one guy). After vacuuming, I mean.
Step 4. apply painters tape: Any recommendations?
Step 10. Despite the fact that many paints promise one-coat coverage: I've heard (from a designer) very good things about the Lowe's Primer/Paint combo formula but am dubious about even that for this application.
Step 11. Apply second coat of paint.: How do you decide when the first coat is dry enough to proceed?
Step 13. Reinstall the outlet and switch plates: Great time to put the little insulation panels in these puppies.
My father painted for a living and inbetween coats he would take some fine sand paper and go over the walls.
definitely take the painters tape off BEFORE the paint dries... learnt that from experience. i've tried the pad for edges and i didn't like it. i'd only be able to go a foot at most before having to put on more paint. i guess it's all about personal preference though. also, last time i painted i used the paint/primer in one and only needed to do one coat.
"I thought you were supposed to remove the painters tape while the paint is wet? That way it doesn't peel up from the wall.
I've done alot of interior painting and I stopped using tape a while ago. It's not worth the time. Get a good angled tip brush and paint the edges and corners with no tape. It takes some practice, but it's much faster than taping and gives better results.
Also, I do the edges and corners first BEFORE filling in with the roller" - Aaden
This. Exactly.
And if you decide to use the edging tool be very careful not to get too much paint on it. If you get paint on the little wheels on the side, they will get paint all over your trim. I prefer a brush with no tape.
Low-VOC paint is a must. Painting is such a breeze nowadays compared to the fume-filled hell it was when I was a kid.
Thanks for sharing all the good hints for painting. I allways thought that painting takes foreever and can't be done by a single person. I was really overwhelmed before I even started. Two years ago I did the kitchen and from now I am cured. I invest in good tape and a decent paint. In student days I used the cheapes white paint that would`t cover even after three coats and make a big mess.
Another way to save a wet roller: wrap it in Saran Wrap and it'll be good for up to a week. That way you don't have to use more than one, especially since I've never been able to do the "one coat" thing either!
The blue painters is worthless and a mess. aidaan is right - get a good angled brush and practice, practice, practice.
A step was missed in the instructions. After you've patched and sanded, you need to apply primer to that area before painting. If you don't, you'll definitely be able to see the patch job under the paint.
Vocab question: what do you all mean when you say "cut in?" Thanks.
Cutting in means taking a brush and painting around the edges of the area you're working on where you can't use the roller without touching trim, ceiling, etc. It's necessary to cut in around doors and windows too. And I agree that this should be done first. If you're painting a large area, it's a good idea to cut in a little, then roll a little, always keeping a wet edge, especially with anything other than flat paint. And I agree, you should always cut first.
I also totally agree about the priming thing. The only time you really shouldn't have to prime is if you're going over a light-colered flat paint. It's definitely necessary to prime over patching compound and over any sort of glossy paint, even just eggshell.
Another step that can make a big difference in the quality of your finished paint job is caulking up cracks around trim where needed.
I am in the process of painting our living room right now and am sharing some tips, so this is quite timely!
29and30.blogspot.com
When we painted our place, painters tape gave us more trouble than it was worth--I agree with the idea that a good angled brush is a better idea.
I have never heard of putting leftover paint in jars; what a great idea! We have plenty of extra jars around, and they'll be so much easier to store than the half-full paint cans taking up our storage shelf space!
Um, the painter tape has always worked just fine for me. Also, it's fun when it's time to peel it away, like a "reveal" ;)
I paint the ceiling first, then trim. Then the trim gets taped off and I paint the walls. I use tape but find it needs some touch up afterward no matter what.
I agree tape should be removed immediately after the last coat of paint, while still wet. Just be careful - wear old clothes and use drop cloths!
I am a messy painter, so even with an experience, I still use painter's tape.
I also sand the whole wall before painting. It evens out everything, makes the wall catching paint better, and makes sure the wall is really clean.
I do freeze brushes/rollers, it makes it much easier.
As a matter of fact, I am going right now to paint hallway's wall, to cover up messed up mural project... :)
Great tips - I have a tip when painting the inside corners of textured walls and ceilings. When you paint a wall a different color to the adjacent wall or ceiling, do you find that it's hard to get a straight line even when using tape, because the paint can bleed through due to the texture? Well, run a bead of transparent caulking along the inside corner before taping it to provide a smooth edge - presto, no more bleeding through.