Painting made simple
Process
Everyone knows that painting a room is a project bound to surface. Whether your once fresh walls have, over the years, become filthy and grimy or you just want to redecorate and add some color, sooner or later, you’re just going to have to paint a room. No matter which of these circumstances you face, painting the room is not always an easy task. On the contrary, it can be overwhelming, but if you stick to these simple steps, you will be successful.
Now that you have a room to paint, where do you start? Well, you definitely have to do some preparing before you jump into actually painting. Preparing the room is often the most time-consuming step in painting a room. Once the room is prepared, the end is just around the corner! If you want the whole job done easier and faster, I highly suggest asking for some help from friends or family.
The first thing to do is make sure you have all the items needed to get the job done. The most essential item is the paint. For the best results, buy a high quality, one coat paint. Also, buy the right kind of paint. Semi-gloss is used on kitchens, bathrooms, and children’s rooms. If it’s a living room or a hallway to be painted, buy a flat paint. The rest of the essential items are: the primer (if you’re painting a light color over a darker color), brushes and rollers, and a paint pan. You also may be wondering whether to use oil-based paint or water-based paint. If you ask just about anyone, they’ll tell you not to even bother with oil based paint. If you spill that on anything, it’s nearly impossible to wipe off, you’d have to use paint thinner and that’s just more mess than anyone should have to deal with. So definitely buy a water-based paint; it’s easy to clean up and does just as good [of ] a paint job as the oil-based paint.
The next list of items needed are: masking tape, spackling paste, a drop cloth or an old sheet you don’t mind getting paint on, newspapers, a sponge and some household cleaner (spic and span works best), and some old clothes to wear while painting. If you don’t already have these items, you can buy them at your local hardware store. If you need help or have any questions on any items, ask an employee.
The next step in preparing the room is to take everything off the walls and either put it all in another room or just in a pile in the middle of that room. Then move everything away from the walls and move it to the center of the room. Once that’s done, cover the pile with the old sheet or drop cloth (this is to make sure no paint gets on your furniture). Not everyone includes this next step, but if you want the paint to stay on your walls longer, wash them using your sponge and some spic and span. If the walls are grimy, just pour the cleaner directly on the wet sponge and scrub. If you prefer, you can dilute the cleaner in a bucket of water. After lightly scrubbing all the dirt away, rinse all the soap out of the sponge with water and go back over the walls to rinse them off a bit.
Taping is the most crucial step in preparing the room. Start with taping off the floor with the newspapers. Spread the papers open and tape them where the edge of the floor meets the wall. Do this all along the floor, taping the newspapers together as well. If you have anything else touching the wall that’s not being painted, (e.g. fireplace, mantle, trimming, or windows) tape them off as well. Now, if the ceiling is not being painted or is going to be a different color than the walls, run the masking tape along the ceiling where the walls meets it as well. This step is not necessary, but if you have holes in your wall from push pins or nails that are not going to be used again, cover them with the spackling paste and a paint spatula.
Now, it’s time to paint! I hope you’ve changed into your old clothes by now. If you haven’t changed yet, this is the time. If the color of the walls now is darker than the new color, you need to paint a coat of primer on the walls first. Whether using a primer or getting right to the color, follow these next steps. Using a screwdriver or a paint can opener, open the can of paint. Next, take a paint stick and stir the paint thoroughly until all the oils are mixed together.
Grab your handy paintbrush and dip it right in the can. Of course, don’t drown the brush in paint; dip the brush just to the end of the bristles. On the way out of the can, lightly scrape the sides of the brush so no excess paint is dripping. Start by painting along the edges and corners of the walls. This step is called “cutting-in”. It is done to make sure the edges and corners are covered evenly. It doesn’t matter which corner or edge you start on; just make sure you cover them all. If by chance, paint happens to get on your furniture or something taped off, simply wipe it off with a wet sponge or rag, but do it before the paint dries. After you’ve cutting-in, put down the brush and pick up the roller. Pour the paint into the paint pan and roll your roller through the paint until the roller is saturated. Now you can start the workout. Now roll the paint on the walls evenly. If the paint looks uneven, don’t panic. Let the walls dry overnight. However, if the walls are still uneven, roll on a second coat. This is why a high quality, one-coat paint is important; it saves time having to reapply a second coat.
The room is now finished and the walls look great! All that’s left to do is cleanup. Start by pouring the unused paint from the pan, back into the paint can. To get most of the paint back in, use the brush to scrape the paint back into the can. Next, wash all the paint from the brushes and rollers. Do this right away or the paint will dry on them. Make sure the brushes and rollers are washed thoroughly by holding them under the running water (cold or warm) until the water runs clear. Then set them aside to dry. Now go to all the places you taped and pull the tape off. (This can be fun.) Once that is finished, roll up the drop cloth, careful not to get any paint on anything, and throw it away. You can also save the cloth for future paint jobs. Now it’s time to put everything back the way it was. (Don’t do this until the walls are dry!)
Actually painting the room was probably more work than it seems by reading the steps, but you did it, right? If you asked for help, the job was definitely not as overwhelming, but if you did it by yourself, congratulations on a job well done. How much work is involved in painting and the amount of time it takes depends on how big the room is, how much furniture the room contains, and how many people helped get the job done. If you thought it was a cinch, great! If not, but you followed these steps, you should have been successful.