How to Paint a Room – Easy Professional Techniques
Are you looking to paint a room in your home but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we’re here to help! In this blog, we’ll show you the easiest ways to paint a room in your house. We’ll also discuss the best tools and techniques needed for the job and which type of paint and sheen is best for different surfaces such as drywall and wood.
Where to start?
Painting a room can be overwhelming if you have no ideas where to begin, you might think that you need to be a professional in order to accomplish this task. However, the truth is that most people can paint a room successfully by following a few simple guidelines. We have a few professional tips that will make this journey a lot easier for you.
Tools and Materials
The materials that you need for painting the walls, ceilings, and trims in your home are pretty basic: a can of paint, brushes, and a roller for smoothing the paint on the walls or ceiling.
In addition, you may need to buy paint thinner, stain blocker, patching putty, or additional items such as masking tape or painter’s tape. You should also have spare rags for cleaning off your tools and the floor surface. Once you have all these tools you will be ready to paint a room in your home.
Start with a Clean Surface
Regardless of the surface that you are going to be painting the first step to paint a room is to clean the space thoroughly to remove any dust and dirt that may interfere with the application. After you’ve cleaned the room, it’s time to begin the actual painting process.
Before you Paint a Room
After the surface is cleaned the next step to paint a room is to make sure that you have an even surface to begin with. This requires patching up any holes, dents, or cracks found on the walls. You can use patching compounds that are fast drying, these products usually change colours once its dry which its a great indicator that it is ready to sand.
After sanding the patches, you need to prime. However, not all compounds require this step, there some products that can just be painted directly over without priming. Ask your local paint store for advice on which product would be best for your project.
Choose the Right Colour
Furthermore, colour is a very important aspect of creating a beautiful look in a room in your home. The right paint color can create an illusion of space or add warmth and charm to your home.
You can also go to the paint store and buy sample pots of in different tones and shades to see which colours work best in the room you are painting. However, Do not choose the colour in the paint store because the colours can be altered depending on the lighting. Instead, ask for colour samples to take home so you can test them on your walls. You want to choose a colour that will look good both during the day and at night when the lights are on.
If you are not sure what colour to choose to paint a room you can watch our video “Colour Trends 2022” to get inspired on how to choose the perfect colour for your home.
How Much Paint do I Need?
After choosing the colour, it is time to determine how much paint you will need to cover the entire wall area.
Calculating how much paint is needed for a project can seem complicated at first, but it’s simple once you understand the simple formula for calculating the volume of paint that you need.To determine how much paint, you need you need to measure the length and the height in feet of the areas to be painted and multiply them by each other; this will give you the total square footage of the project. One gallon of paint will be enough to cover around 350-400 square feet on a flat surface, just keep in mind that this may vary depending on the circumstances. For example, if the wall has not been previously painted.
Preparation is Key
Before you begin to paint a room, you need to cover the floor and furniture that is near the area, the last thing you want is to have to paint over your furniture, carpet, and other personal items. This can be done using drop sheets or plastic tarps, if a drop sheet is not available you can use bed sheets that you no longer need.
Once you know how much paint you will need and covering the floors and furniture, you will need to sand all the walls to dull out the previous paint finish to provide better adhesion for the new paint. Using the appropriate sanding tools, like a sanding pole if available, will help to ensure that your painting job lasts a long time. After sanding the walls, you can begin the painting process!
Cutting the Walls
Once you start to paint a room you can begin by cutting the walls, using the correct paint brush is essential as this will make it much easier to get a straight line. There are some brushes that will help you get a smooth finish at affordable prices. Remember, quality products are not always expensive! You can also use green or blue tape to help you avoid getting paint on undesired areas or objects that you do not want to be painted.Be sure to carry a damped cloth with you in case you get paint undesired areas, this will be a life saviour as accidents always happen when you least expect it.
Many “painters” use a whiz roller to cut the walls. However, this is not something that we recommend as this usually leaves texture and an overall sloppy finish.
Rolling like a Pro
After the walls are cut, you can start rolling the walls. Using a good quality roller, you will get a great result with no drips or sags, we recommend using a 9-inch roller for best results, as it is much easier to move around than a larger roller. Furthermore, using an extension pole is recommended as the rolling process can be tiring and if its not done correctly it can cause back injuries. However, if an extension pole is not available you can use a broom stick.
Once you have your roller set up you need to soak the roller in the paint and remove excess paint in the tray then roll the paint onto the wall, start from the middle of the wall and the move the roller up then down to spread the paint evenly throughout the wall. As the roller goes up and down your arms are the only thing that needs to be moving, if you see yourself having to bend your back this means that the extension pole or broom stick is too short, and you need to get a longer one. Again, this will avoid any back pains specially if you are thinking of painting more than one bedroom.
When you paint a room, rolling can be tiring but if you follow the steps mentioned the process will be much easier.
Second Coat
After you have finished your first coat its time for the second coat! Often, you might think that a second coat is not necessary, specially if the new colour is similar to the old one. However, we always recommend a second coat as you will get a better result and you won’t have to worry about any patchy areas on your walls. Follow the same process as you did for your first coat, but this time the process should be much faster.
Most of the times two coats of paint should be enough to have a solid colour and smooth finish. On rare occasions you need to do more than two coats, usually when this is required is when the new colour changes drastically from the existing colour. For example, light to dark or vice versa.
Cleaning Up
After the second coat has been rolled and completely dry its time to clean up. If the floor and furniture were covered correctly, it should be much easier to clean after the project has been completed, since most of the dust and debris should stay on the plastic covering.
Cleaning up is the last step on how to paint a room!
I hope these techniques can help you paint a room in your home and can help you simplify the process. These are just a few painting techniques that Argenta’s Painters use on a daily basis. If you want to know how to paint different surfaces such as the trims and ceilings, we will make sure to make a blog explaining these steps as well. In the meanwhile you can check out this article where we give a step to step guide on “How to Paint a Ceiling | Easy Professional Techniques”
Call A Professional
It is a sound idea to call a professional contractor like us after a flood. We have the experience to mitigate mold damage and undertake the repairs that will make your home or commercial space like new again. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment for a free quote, please contact us. We will be honored to help you restore the place you love.