How to Paint a Room

If you are overwhelmed by the thought of painting a room, don't worry, it's not that bad. Follow these easy steps for painting a room.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• masking tape
• flat edged knife or something with a wide flat edge (to be used to secure the masking tape)
• protective covering for the floor (i.e. plastic, thick paper, a drop cloth)
• adequate lighting
• paint
• a brush for trimming
• paint rollers and extending roller pole
• paint roll covers
• paint tray
• tray liner
• plastic bags (to wrap your tools with if you are not able to complete the project in one day)
• old clothes
• scissors

1. Before you begin painting the room, put on old clothes. No matter how careful you are, there is a good chance you will splatter or drip paint on your clothing. You may even want to wear a hat in case paint gets in your hair. Gather all of your painting materials into the room or close by the room so they are easily accessible as you need each item.

2. 
   masking tape

   The first thing you will do before painting is mask the, trim, windows or any other area you do not want paint to touch. There are several different types of masking tape ranging from inexpensive thin tape to thick, wide and easily removable tape. If you choose the less expensive you will want to remove it as soon as the paint is dry or it will stick to the surface and be difficult to remove. You can spend a little more and purchase tape that can be left on the surface for days with easy removal. This type of masking tape is usually blue. You will want to place the tape on the area as close to the edge as possible without overlapping onto the area where you will be painting. After it is in place take your flat edged knife and press firmly along the tape to get a good seal. The better the seal the less chance you will have of paint leaking under the tape.

3. Once you have masked the area it is time to cover the floor. If using plastic you can cut the pieces you need and stick the edges to where the tape is overlapping. Which ever floor covering you choose, cut the pieces to where the entire edge of the room is covered. If you are a messy painter you may want to cover the entire floor. Home improvement stores sell plastic, paper floor covering and drop cloths made especially for painting. Check with your local newspaper as they will sometimes sell the remnants of paper rolls for just a few dollars per roll. Measure the area before choosing the floor covering and make sure you have enough for the painting job.

4. Prepare your paint tray by placing a tray liner inside the tray. Cover your roller with a roller cover. You will not need the extender pole until you are ready to paint the areas you can't reach. Lay the roller to the side until the paint has been poured into the tray. Tip the can upside down (while the lid it tightly secured) and let the paint from the bottom run to the top for a few minutes. Then tip it back right-side-up and let it sit again for a few minutes. You can repeat this several times to ensure your paint is mixed properly (it needs to be professionally shaken at the store-*see tips section and additional resources below. After it has settled for a few minutes you can open the paint can with a can opener they will provide free of charge where most paint is sold. Use the paint stirring stick also provided with the purchase of your paint to stir the paint for a few minutes. The better the paint is stirred the less chance there will be spots of unmixed color left at the bottom. Pour enough paint to cover the deep end of the paint tray. Try to keep the paint off the sloping edge with the raised areas because you will need this area clear to press your roller onto to remove excess paint before putting it on the wall.

5. Put your roller in the paint and roll until there is paint on all sides. Then roll it up onto the sloping area and roll off excess paint a few times. Start painting in a "V" on the wall, going back to fill in the insides of the "V". When the area is too high for you to reach attach the paint roller extender pole. When you have painted as far as you can and the area left is a border along the sides, base and ceiling it is time to "cut" or trim the rest of the wall. Pour a small amount of paint in a container you can hold and move with and start painting he edges. Holding your paintbrush sides ways and running it parallel to the wall you are trimming will make the lines more smooth and prevent hitting the ceiling. At the base it is okay to hit the tape as long as you don't leave huge drips of paint which might pull paint off the wall when you remove the tape.

6. Repeat with two coats, or three if you are using a dark color or a low grade paint. Some paints that are high quality will be okay for one coat if it is a lighter color. You can determine this after the paint dries. Once it is dry you will see light areas determining another coat is necessary, however, it can be a light coat.

7. Finally when the walls are dry to touch you can remove the tape. Take a knife and run it along any areas where paint and tape meet. Be careful not to scratch woodwork or dig into the wall or ceiling. You can use light pressure to do this as you are simply separating paint and tape. Gently pull the tape off while being careful not to get any wet paint that may still be on the tape on the woodwork or ceiling.

8. Once the tape has been removed and your paint tools moved to an area where they can be cleaned you can remove the protective floor covering by rolling it up. You will also want to make sure all the paint on the floor covering is dry also. You now have a freshly painted room.

Tips & Warnings

• Rubbing lotion or baby oil onto your hands before you begin will make it easier to remove latex paint from them when you are finished. Just make sure you don't use too much and make your hands too slippery where you can't properly hold onto the painting tools.
• Ask someone who works in the paint department where you are purchasing the paint for their recommendation on which paint to use before you choose a color. There are several finishes to pick from (i.e. gloss, semi-gloss, flat). Then ask which roller cover and brush would be best for the paint you have chosen and the area you will be applying it to. Some roller covers are thicker then others. The wall texture will determine the roller thickness you will need.
• Use your paint within a few days of purchasing it while it has recently been mixed with a professional paint shaker. If you wait longer you should take the paint back and have it shaken again before you begin.
• Do one wall at a time.
• If you need to leave your project for a few hours or overnight you can wrap the brush, paint roller with roller cover still attached and tray (first dumping any leftover paint in the tray back in the can) individually in plastic. Tie the bags securely and make sure no air is getting in.
• Open windows before you begin to ventilate the area. Running a fan for extra air flow is a good idea to reduce breathing in heavy paint fumes.
• Watch where you step! Be careful not to step in drops of paint that have hit the ground and then walk into another room that has not been protected.

Resources

• How to mix a can of paint