You want to paint your walls and even though you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you don’t want to do it by trial and error. You want to get it right and get it done! So here’s a crash course in “How to Paint a Wall 101.”
The purpose of this guide is to help you eliminate the learning curve. Painting a wall is not difficult. The effort is in the preparation. Though it may take extra time up front, it will save you from having to clean up your mistakes afterwards, which can cost considerably more of your valuable time. Good preparation also assures you of a clean, professional looking paint job.
To start, you’ll need to choose the color. It sounds simple, but be aware that the lighting and shadows in the store where you select the color are different from those at home. Buy a small sample bottle, paint a large poster board with the color and place it around the room on the walls you want to paint. Looks good? The family likes it? Let’s get started.
When selecting interior house paint, look for latex paint. As opposed to oil-based paints, it washes easily out of your brushes with soapy, warm water and those inevitable drips and spills can be wiped away without panicking. You’ll also need paint primer as your first coat. It saves you from having to put on multiple layers of wall paint to cover the color beneath. There are also textured paints and wall paint designs that you can apply to your room, but to begin, let’s address the basics.
Before you start, you’ll need the following supplies: drop cloths, paint rags, paint trays, paint rollers, an angled paint brush for corners, an edging tool with rollers for painting along the ceiling and masking tape or blue painter’s tape, which lightly sticks to surfaces without pulling off the paint when removed. You will also need a step ladder for the upper areas of the wall.
First off, move your furniture away from the walls. Put your drop cloths on the floor and cover any furniture that is still within splattering distance. This step will save you a lot of cussing later on. Next, remove the wall plates from the outlets and light switches. Mask the crown and base molding, door frames or any other immovable objects along the wall that you don’t want painted.
Using the angle brush, paint down the corners of the walls, around the outlets and light switches and in any small areas where the roller won’t fit. Use the edging tool to paint along the border of the wall and ceiling. It will also work if your walls are bordered with crown and base molding. The rollers on the outer edge of this tool keep your paint from getting on the ceiling or molding and glide the paint across the wall in a nice, clean line.
Now, you’re ready to roll! Though it looks like you have a lot of surface left to paint, this step goes the quickest. You’ve actually done all the detail work, so just dip your roller in the paint tray and enjoy the feeling of instant gratification! The roller covers so much surface with each application, that it’s surprising how quickly you’ll be able to step back and congratulate yourself for a job well done!
Just one more thingDon’t forget to clean up!
Learn more about this author, Michele Preddy.