Painting the interior walls of a room is a simple and popular DIY project that can dramatically transform a space at a low cost. If you’re ready to tackle this project, be sure to check out our expert tips on achieving a professional paint job in your home.
The essential supplies list for painting walls
Ensuring you have everything needed for the job is crucial. Here’s what you’ll need:
Prepping the walls/surface
- Drop cloths – A vital element to guarantee that you don’t splatter paint on your surfaces. Canvas or material drop cloths are preferred, although plastic ones can also work. However, they can be slippery and tear more readily.
- Sugar soap – The best paint job demands the cleanest surface. Washing the walls and ceiling with a sugar soap and water solution will eliminate any dust, dirt, grease, and stains.
- Masking tape/painter’s tape – Painter’s tape is utilized for masking off floor edges, trim, or windows to safeguard them from errant brush strokes. It needs to seal the surface and, if applied on paint, not pull the paint up when you remove it.
- Surface filler and spatula – If the wall has any dents, scratches, or divots, now is the opportune time to cover them. Patch up any holes with the filler and use the spatula to level it out with the wall.
- Sandpaper – Even out bumps and smoothen any rough surface.
Painting walls
- Paint brushes – You need to ensure you have the appropriate brush for your paint type. Paint brushes with natural bristles are intended for oil-based paints, while synthetic bristles are intended for water-based paints (but can be used for anything).
- Rollers – The workhorse of the painting tools stable, rollers come in a variety of ‘naps’ or thicknesses. A flat, smooth roller is ideal for smooth walls, while textured walls will require a roller that is thicker and more plush.
- Roller extension poles and a ladder – Especially if you are painting a ceiling and don’t wish to strain your back, you might need both.
- Stirring stick
- Paint tray or bucket – Ensure you obtain a paint tray large enough for your roller size. To make life even more convenient, you can purchase plastic insets or cover the tray with aluminum foil or cling film so you don’t have to scrub the tray when cleaning up. If you’re using a brush, you might desire a small container to hold your paint. You can also use the paint tray for this. Utilizing the paint pot itself can contaminate the paint and expose it to air for an extended period.
- Plastic bags/cling film – If painting takes longer than you had anticipated, or if you have had your fill and want to call it a day, placing brushes and rollers in cling film or airtight plastic bags will keep the paint fresh and eliminate the need for additional clean-up steps halfway through the job.
- Rags – Accidents occur, and it’s always a prudent idea to be prepared for spills and splashes.
The paint itself
- Primer – If your walls are in good condition, or if they are a similar shade to the one you plan to use, you can likely omit this step. If you are undertaking a dramatic color change, priming will ensure better coverage with fewer coats of paint.
- Wall and ceiling paint
Let’s painting walls – the step by step guide
Setp 1 – Ask for large scale paint swatches
Instead of purchasing sample size paint for swatching on your wall, request large-scale paint swatches. They help visualize the paint’s appearance on the wall and can be easily moved or removed, unlike painted swatches. Be sure to test your paint swatches in the room under natural light and with the lights on at night. Artificial light can alter paint color tones, so it’s crucial to test before painting.
Setp 2 – Clear the room, protect the room and organise your kit
Before starting, move all furniture out or to the center of the room. Remove items from the walls or cover them with drop cloths, taping down the edges to prevent shifting. Create a makeshift workstation in the center for your supplies, ensuring everything is within reach.
Setp 3 – Remove doorknobs, power point and light switch covers, and light fixtures
To protect accessories like sockets and switches, unscrew the covers and bag them with their screws, labeled by location. If possible, remove light fixtures; otherwise, cover them with plastic bags.
Setp 4 – Prep the walls for painting
Before you commence painting, it is indispensable to prep your walls for painting. Fill in all holes in the wall by applying spackling paste with a utility knife or palate knife to the hole. Once the spackling paste has dried, employ fine grit sandpaper to sand the area until smooth and proceed to sand off all paint drops or bumps on the walls.
Wipe down the walls with a damp cloth to eliminate any of the dust from sanding to prevent the dust from adhering to the paint. If the walls have any grease on them, use a cleaner designed to remove grease on the walls as the paint may not adhere to greasy walls.
If you wish to paint over dark walls, ensure to apply a coat of primer before you start painting, as this will reduce the number of coats of paint you will need to apply later.
Put masking tape around your window frames, along the floor edge or skirting boards, around the door, and anywhere else where you desire a clean line and no mess.
Setp 5 – Line your paint tray
Line your paint tray with plastic tray liners, a piece of tin foil or a plastic bag so that you can effortlessly clean your paint tray when done by discarding the liner instead of spending time scrubbing off all the excess paint.
Setp 6 – Cut in walls and ceilings
Before grabbing the roller, use a paintbrush to detail areas around baseboards, ceilings, corners, and windows. An angled brush is ideal for ceiling edges to avoid accidental marks.
Setp 7 – Painting walls
For walls, opt for a medium-nap roller on a frame with an extension handle. Roll paint onto the walls in a slightly diagonal pattern, starting away from the cut-in edges. Cover about 1m² at a time, and when the roller is low on paint, “lay off” by rolling from the ceiling down to blend and smooth out the paint. Continue in sections, ensuring wet edges for a seamless finish.
Roll in overlapping W patterns for even coverage without roller marks. Complete one wall before moving on to the next.
Setp 8 – Wrap it up
If you are taking prolonged breaks between painting coats, place all your paint brushes and foam rollers into the paint tray and place the paint tray into a plastic bag. Tie the plastic bag and it will prevent your paint from drying out for a day or two.
Setp 9 – Cleaning tools
After painting, scrape excess paint from the roller back into the tin with a 6 in 1 painter’s tool. Save it for touch-ups later. Rinse rollers and trays thoroughly. To clean brushes, soak them first, then wash in a bucket with several changes of water. Avoid pouring paint down the sink. The pre-soaked brush will make cleaning easier.