This document is protected by copyright. It may be used and reproduced only for non-profit educational use.

Painting a Room

Painting a room is one of the easiest do-it-yourself projects. All you need is a little knowledge, some inexpensive equipment, and patience to work carefully.

Gathering Supplies and Equipment
You are saving over half the costs of a professional, so it’s worth spending a little extra on paint and equipment to make the room look good.

Even a high-quality water-based latex paint will take two coats to cover another color, so should you apply a primer coat or two finish coats? The white primer coat is more work because you have to cut in twice, but primer is cheaper and more importantly, if your old paint was oil-based, a water-based primer will assure you that the water-based finish coat will adhere. A gallon covers about 400 square feet, so you will need one gallon per coat for a 12X12 foot room.

You will want a good roller, extender pole, and roller pan. Buy at least two medium grade roller covers that you will throw away after using. A cheap cover will slide, shed fiber, and accumulate excess paint on the edges. An expensive cover is too much trouble to clean and store.

Buy a high quality two inch cutting brush with synthetic bristles. Cutting is exact, demanding work and you want a brush that will keep its shape. I also recommend using a trim guide or shield (see Figure 1) to block paint from getting on the ceiling or window frames. A small plastic bucket with a narrow slot to hold a brush will help you get up and down the ladder without drips or spills.

You will also need spackle, a stir stick, a broom, a slot screwdriver, a putty knife, medium grade sandpaper, a ladder, painter’s tape, drop cloths or newspapers, rags and small box or bag to hold the outlet plates and screws.

Preparing
Turn the paint can upside down to move the heavier pigments that have settled on the bottom.

Open the windows and turn on any fans to make the air healthier and to dry the paint faster.

Move the furniture three feet away from the walls and cover it.

Put drop cloths or newspapers on the floor along each wall. Use painter’s tape to secure newspaper from moving around while you work.

Take down the blinds and curtains, remove electric plates, and take down pictures.

Fill in old nail holes and cracks with spackle.

Broom or wipe off dust and cobwebs, especially near the ceiling and corners.

Use the putty knife to scrap off any peeling paint, and then sand the area smooth.

Arrange a place to leave the paint and to pour it into the rolling pan.

Painting
Shake the paint can vigorously for a minute, open the lid with a screwdriver, and then stir the paint with the stir stick until the thickness is consistent from bottom to top.

Do not rush. Work carefully. You can immediately wipe drips or stray marks off doors and windows but a mark on a ceiling probably will not wipe clean.

Cutting
Working with the small bucket and the two inch cutting brush, apply at least two inches from the ceiling, baseboards, doorframes, sides of window openings, and corners. Dip the brush no more than one-half onto the bristles and wipe the excess paint from one side of the brush. With a big rag, wipe the paint off the trim guide every twelve inches so that excess paint does not leak onto a window frame or the ceiling.

Rolling
Stir the paint each time before you pour it into the rolling pan. Do not pour more than half way up the pan. Roll the roller into the paint, trying to cover all the roller surface evenly. Roll excess paint off onto the bumpy incline in the roller pan.

Apply the paint evenly from top to bottom. Smooth out any drip lines.

You can apply the second coat immediately if you begin where you started.

Inspecting and touching up
This is a time not to admire your work but to critique it. You missed fully covering a few small areas. Now you must find them. Shine a bright light on every surface and look carefully. A good angle to spot uncovered areas is to move your eyes close to the wall and look sideways and up and down.

Cleaning
It is time to clean up, not to make another mess, so work carefully. Wrap the roller covers in newspaper and throw them out. Spray the roller, pan, bucket, brush, and trim guide clean with a garden hose on the lawn.

Trim Guide

Figure 1 Trim Guide

Last updated 02/06/2007