10 Things You Should Know Before Painting A Room
By Shelley Little
October 28, 2014 in Freshome's Very Best
Painting can actually be fun when you know how to do it properly. We share the many steps to make your painting project turn out perfectly! Image Source: Gace K Design
Are you living with boring white walls, but hate the thought of painting? Painting is often a task that homeowners dread. However, it is one of the most inexpensive ways to improve the look of your home without too much effort.
Paint colors can dramatically change the mood and interior design of your home. Paint can make a statement with splashes of bold color, or it can be a soft backdrop to a more muted interior. Either way, painting is one of the easiest and least expensive tools in the interior design world. However, there are a few things you should know before you paint—things that will make your job much easier. You never know, you may actually enjoy painting after reading this.
Here, you will discover 10 things you should know before you paint, that can turn dread into success quickly:
Learning how to properly paint can make your projects turn out beautifully. Follow the preparatory steps—don’t skip the details! Image Source: Pearl Design 4 U
1) Prepping a Room Does Make a Difference
It is a known fact that painting is much easier when there is nothing in your way. This means empty out the room, or at least as much as possible. If you are painting your living room, move large furniture pieces to the center and cover them up with old sheets or drop cloths.
Although it seems like an unnecessary step to wipe the walls down, it is a very important step. Whether you can see it or not, there is buildup on the walls of dirt, dust, and oils from your hands. Removing this debris prior to painting will allow the paint to adhere to the walls.
You should also fill in any nail holes or cracks with spackling, as well as tape off adjacent walls, window trim, and light switch or outlet covers. Use drop cloths, newspapers, or a roll of paper to cover the floor.
It’s very important to prep a room before you paint. This includes movie all the furniture/covering it, and filling in nail holes. Image Source: Miller Design
2) Test the Paint Color
It is very difficult to determine how a particular color will look on your walls, and with your lighting. If you have a color in mind, it is a good idea to buy a sample.
Allow the paint to dry, observing its color in both daytime and night. This will give you a true idea of what the color will look like on your walls.
If you are unsure of the color, purchase a few samples and do the same. You might be surprised at what colors you actually like, and even more surprised at how what you thought was your favorite color on the swatch looks terrible in your home.
Be sure to test out the color swatches before you commit to a paint color. Image Source: Terra Telms
3) Painting a Room – Allow Color Into Your Life
Color can be overwhelming for some. However, do not let a fear of color make you choose white, off white, or beige.
Trying a few different colors will allow you to create a specific feeling in the room.
For instance, dark colors add texture and depth to the space. This is particularly true if the room is very large with high ceilings. On the other hand, if you have a small room, such as a guest bath with no natural light, brighter, lighter colors can really open up the space and make it feel much larger.
Essentially, don’t be afraid of color—experiment to see what works—you may be surprised!
Color can be fun, so don’t be scared to add some to your home. Even if you only paint one accent wall in a bold hue. Image Source: Irvin Serrano
4) Pay Attention to the Finish You Choose
Surprisingly, not only does the color matter, but the finish, or sheen, does as well. High gloss paint finishes are very durable and easier to clean, but the downside is they often highlight imperfections in your walls.
On the other hand, a flat paint finish will hide these imperfections. However, flat paint is more susceptible to damage.
In most instances, an eggshell finish is the best option.
It provides some gloss, is still easy to clean, does not highlight imperfections, and is not as easily prone to damage as flat paint.
Be careful to choose the correct sheen of paint. Bathrooms and hallways tend to need a more scrubbable, glossier sheen. Image Source: D Space Studio
5) Paint Can Be Changed
After painting a square on the wall and observing it in different light you choose a color. However, you may discover that what looked great in a small section is too overwhelming once the walls are finished.
Fortunately, paint is an inexpensive option for making over a room and it can be easily changed. If you find that you do not like a color, you can easily paint over it.
In addition, if the color seems too overwhelming for all four of your walls, consider leaving one wall painted that color as an accent. You may find that a ‘pop’ of color is all you needed.
Maybe the paint color didn’t turn out the way you hoped. Don’t stress it can be changed. Image Source: Sara Story Design
6) Determining How Much Paint You Need
There is nothing more frustrating during a painting project than running out of paint halfway through the project. Likewise, you don’t want to have too much paint either. Here is a handy paint calculator that may help.
There are a few things that will help you determine the right amount of paint. First, you need to know the square footage of your room.
Secondly, think about how many coats of paint you want to do. If you are priming the walls first, one coat might be enough, whereas two coats are often needed if walls are not primed.
Before you go to the store to buy the paint, be sure to measure the square footage of the room—you don’t want to buy too little or too much. Image Source: Nestarch
7) Priming Saves on Paint
Speaking of priming, this is an important step in the preparation process. Primer seals the walls providing you with a base for the paint to adhere to.
After you fill in all the holes and cracks, primer becomes even more important. The primer will prevent flashing or a shiny spot on the wall, which occurs when paint is placed directly on spackling.
Primer does not, however, help you skip the step of cleaning the walls. Cleaning the walls is still a very important step, primer or not.
You should always prime before you paint. It guarantees a great finish and allows you to use less paint. Image Source: Space Crafting
8) Brush Before Rolling
For many, the concept of brushing the corners before or after rolling the walls can be confusing. However, you must remember to brush before rolling.
Carefully use a high-quality brush to paint about an inch out from corners, the ceiling, and the baseboard. These are areas that a roller cannot reach.
Use the roller after brushing in order to flatten out any brush marks that have gone further out than the depths of the corner. This will leave you with a smooth flat surface.
Brushing the edges and corners may be tedious but it is necessary when painting. Image Source: Becca Interiors
9) Prep Your Roller and Paint Brushes
Rollers are made from fuzzy material that puts more than paint on your walls. It is important that you remove any debris, such as loose fibers, from the roller.
You can use painters tape wrapped backward around your hand to do this. Press your taped hand onto the roller, and it will work in a similar manner as a lint roller.
You should also rub the dry paint brushes up against your hand and gently tug on the fibers. This will ensure that no loose fibers end up in your paint from the brush.
Always be sure to prep your roller and brushes before painting. You don’t want brush lint or bristles on your walls. And don’t forget to tape! Image Source: JH Interior Design
10) Spend Money on Proper Supplies
Aside from a good quality paint brush, you want to make sure you have all the supplies you need prior to getting started.
This will include roller extenders and a sturdy step ladder.
Roller extenders will help you reach higher walls without stretching your arms too high or standing on your tiptoes.
A sturdy step ladder will help you easily reach the top corners of you walls when brushing. Both of these items will keep you from overextending your body causing injury.
Don’t skimp on the painting supplies. You need high-quality brushes, rollers, tape and a ladder. Image Source: Remodel With Saz
These are just a few tips that will making your painting experience much better than you could have expected! Follow these 10 steps and you will end up with walls that are painted to perfection!
Remember to take your time doing the tedious prep work—it pays off by making your painting project run more smoothly and results in a better paint job.
What room are you currently painting?
I have a friend who wants to paint a couple of rooms in her home. She has never painted on her own before so she doesn’t really know what she is doing. I will for sure share the tips in this article with her and hopefully she will be able to use them when painting her rooms. Thanks for the great tips and advice in this article, they were so great.
I’ve never heard of anyone trying to pain a room without cleaning it out first. To me that just seems like common sense. also; testing the paint color is a great idea. You want to make sure it will actually dry as the color you had in mind before you cover an entire wall. I’m wanting to pain a green accent wall in my living room, but it’s tricky to find the right shade I have in mind.
I agree that it’s good to be a bit exploratory when choosing a paint color. You can add color without it being too loud or making a statement. I also like the tenth tip. If you’re investing enough money to do the job properly, it will be a lot easier to enjoy the process. The time you can save will be worth the money. Thanks for the great tips!
When we were painting our living room I didn’t test the paint very well. When it became dusk the paint started looking bright orange rather than the cream and I didn’t like it at all. We repainted it to a better color, but next time I’ll make sure to test it first!
Painting can seem like a big undertaking at first, but these tips are great for those who choose to paint their own homes. If you feel like your skills aren’t quite up to par or you do not have the money to spend on the proper equipment to get started painting it can be a good idea to hire a professional painter. These experienced professionals spend their whole working days perfecting the skills that are listed in this article including knowing what finishes and primers to use with each type of paint and taping out areas to have clean lines.
My husband and I have been wanting to paint some rooms in our home here in Norwalk, CT for a while now but neither of us has much experience with painting. We know what colors that we want to use and which decor elements we will be changing. We want to make some other color changes to our house so I am really glad that I came across this article. Thank you for the insights!
My husband and I have been wanting to paint our living room for a few years now. We have never really been able to get around to it because of all our little kids. They are finally at an age that they would be able to handle us painting and not make a mess. I have never painted a room before so research has been the key for me. I think that residential interior painting can be such a great change to your home so we will definitely use these tips in the future!
I’m happy that you have shared wonderful tips and step-by-step guide that one should know before painting any space. It looks like a lot of information. Painting a room is an easy, inexpensive DIY project and you can do it! I have also some ideas on this topic. You can just try it. If you have a crack wall or water seepage stains,you should put a paint over water spots as painting can improve the appearance of your ceiling and can enhance the new look of your house.