How to Paint a Small Room

Paint can completely change the ambiance of a room. Small rooms can feel cozy with warm hues or open and airy with soft pastels. Change the decor from one state to another in just a few hours. Use the same steps to paint a small room as you would a larger space, but remember to choose colors that reflect the room's intended use.

Things You'll Need

• Drop cloth
• Crack filler
• Putty knife
• Drywall patch (optional)
• Sand paper
• Painter's tape
• Paint tray
• Primer
• Paint stirrer
• Paint
• Paint brush
• Paint roller

Instructions

Prepare the room

1. Choose a paint color. Pick a color based on the way the room will be used. If it is a study, where someone will need to focus and concentrate, choose colors that are not distracting, but won't put you to sleep. A bright airy color makes the room look bigger. Painting everything the same color in a small room also makes it look larger. Use swatches of fabric from upholstery, window coverings and floor coverings to coordinate the design of the room. Remember lighting impacts the way the final color will look.

2. Move everything out of the room. Make space to work by clearing out all furniture, fixtures (including wall socket covers), clothes, and curtains. Remove everything from the walls including art hangers and nails. An empty space will keep paint from splattering on your belongings. It will also provide an unobstructed view of the new paint color.

3. Use a drop cloth or plastic tarp to protect the floor. Drop cloths come in all sizes at home improvement stores. Some come with tape already around the edges to be used along baseboards. Protect all woodwork, electrical sockets and light switches with high quality painter's tape. The tape will keep the paint from bleeding onto the trim. For tight corners, carefully tear tape to make clean lines.

4. Fill in cracks and sand the patches. Check the condition of all walls for cracks and holes. Use a putty knife to apply crack filler to small cracks and nail holes. For larger holes, use drywall patches available from home improvement stores to conceal the hole. Allow the crack filler to dry, then sand with sandpaper.

5. Apply a primer coat to the walls. Stir the paint thoroughly before starting. Use a paint roller for maximum coverage. Paint rollers come in different textures, appropriate to how you want the walls to end up. Pour a small amount of paint into a paint tray. Load the paint on the roller by rolling it in the tray then allowing some to roll out in the paint tray. Roll the paint on the walls in an up and down motion, overlapping strokes and moving across the wall. Use a brush to apply paint close to the edges near trim and in corners. Allow the paint to dry before removing the tape.

Tips & Warnings

• Paint several swatches of paint on the wall to visualize different colors before picking one.