House painting lessons

If you're like many people, most rooms in your house are rectangular and consist of four walls, a window and a door or two. One of the rooms might have a picture or two hanging somewhere, while another has a table, a rug, a bed, dresser, perhaps people, etc... all of which add a distinctive flavour to each room. There is probably a lot you can do to make it better, to make it something that is pleasing to the eye when its inhabitant walks in. No matter what you do to make each the 'perfect' room, there is probably nothing you can do to a room that will give it as much life as a new coat of paint will.

A freshly painted room radiates a sense of freshness unlike anything else you do to it. Indeed, you can add the perfect touch of character to any room merely by painting the walls.

First you need to consider the painting tools you'll need. And what about a ladder and something to cover that precious furniture that garners the room. Then you'll have to prepare the walls and figure out your plan of attack.. where to start and in what order.

Not only will this page help you figure those things out, it'll get you thinking about all those little details that most people simply don't think about until they're in the middle of things. This information delivers a plan of attack that is used by professional painters day in and day out.

If you've never held a paint brush in your hand before, check out the section on How to paint.

You can go through the details below from Step 1 through to Step 5 or you can go straight to any area you feel you need help with by clicking on the link just below.

While using those little painting gadgets (as seen on TV) may establish the effort that you made at doing a nice job at painting, the following list of tools will help you achieve a proffesional looking paint job with much much less grief and cost.

· A couple of small angled brush (2 or 2 1/2 inch) for trim or corners - usually one for each color unless you plan on washing your brush each time you change color.
· Roller cover (nap anywhere from 10mm to 20mm thick) - A good rule of thumb; the glossier the finish the shorter the nap
· Canvas drop cloths, plastic tarps or old sheets/bed covers (that you don't plan on using again)
· Caulk and caulking gun (Latex acrylic caulking is a good all-around choice)
· Spackle, poly filla or the equivalent (a substance used to fill in cracks before painting)
· Turpentine (only if using oil-based paint)
· Bucket to clean brushes in (an empty 5 gallon pail will do fine or even better; a laundry tub)
· Painter's tape or masking tape
· Putty and putty knife (to fill nail holes and small fine cracks)
· Sandpaper (100 grit)
· Primer (make sure you get a primer sealer)
· Rags
· Roller cage (with extension pole for walls and ceilings)
· Roller tray
· Disposable rubber gloves
· 4 or 5 foot step ladder with a paint tray ( to rest your paint can on)

Getting yourself some paint would also definitely help. First measure the square footage of the surfaces you're going to paint in order to know how much you'll need. Paint cans tell you how much paint they cover in square footage, so as long as you measure, you'll be fine. Still not sure? Use this paint calculator! And remember to hit your 'Back' button to return here and continue.

Extension and/or step ladder(s)
Can hook (if painting from an extension ladder)
Drop cloths and rags
Sandpaper (80 to 120 grit depending on how smooth/rough your surface is)
Wire brush and scraper
Putty knife and putty
Filler compound
Mineral spirits (if using oil paint)
Plastic bags (to keep your brushes and rollers from drying when not in use)
Caulk and caulking gun (Exterior caulking recommended)
Brushes & rollers
Paints & primers
Roller Tray
Roller extension(s)

Choose a type of paint: latex or oil
Choose a finish: generally flat, velvet/eggshell or semi-gloss
Choose a color: We won't go there!
Choose a shade: Think about the effect you want for the room
Choose your brushes and rollers

The type of paint you use (and its finish) are essential factors if you want a neatly painted room. Substances like mercury and lead, which were used for centuries in paint are now banned and have been removed from paints for some time now. That's because it's dangerous to eat the paint chips of lead- or mercury-based paint or to breathe those fumes while painting. Sure, you don't eat paint chips, but little kids eat all kinds of disgusting things (bugs, boogers, play-doh, etc.); if they eat lead-based paint, they could suffer from brain deficiencies later in life. Here are the two types of paint you should consider:

· Latex-based paint. This is easiest to work with and the easiest to clean up -- only soap and water are required. Latex is best used on walls, floors and metal surfaces. It also works well on woodwork.

· Oil-based paint. This is also known as alkyd-based and requires a solvent-like turpentine to clean off of paintbrushes, your skin and the telephone when you answer it in an unguarded moment. Oil-based paint is stain-resistant and sticks well to walls and ceilings. It is particularly popular for bathrooms, kitchens and exteriors.

Once you've decided on the merits of latex versus oil, you must pick a finish (the same color of paint is normally available in a several finishes.) A paint's finish affects how shiny the finished paint job will look.

· Flat finishes: This finish is good for large surfaces, since it doesn't reflect light. Remember that if it is a latex based paint, it is impossible to wash without leaving some sort of mark on the spot that was washed. That is why it is largely used for ceilings.

· Satin/velvet/eggshell finishes: These finishes are all excellent to brighten up hallways, common areas, and children's bedrooms and playrooms. It softens light reflection while muting bright colors and allows the color to shine through. These finishes are more washable than flat although not as scrubbable as semi-gloss finishes.

· Semi-gloss finish: This finish is easy to clean, making it ideal for high-traffic areas such as entrances, kitchens, bathrooms, doors and trim/wood work.

· Gloss finish: This finish reflects the most light and tends to be used in small quantities (such as on trim or on external surfaces.)

Top

Choose a color

· White - White (and its various incarnations such as off-white, beige, and eggshell), provides a can't-go-wrong foundation for any room. It doesn't distract and makes a room look brighter and bigger. It's great for just about any room. Pure white is often used in kitchens and washrooms while off whites throughout the rest of the house.

· Red - Bright and bold, red suggests vitality and aggressiveness. It can be a bit overwhelming for an entire room, but if you have a bedroom that you want to convey amorous vibes, it's a unique way to go. Deep, subtle shades of red such as burgundy and maroon are perfect for living rooms if youhave matching furniture or wall hangings. At its worst, red is: too dramatic.

· Yellow - Stimulating, sunny and cheerful, yellow is associated with intellect, power and creative energy. Bright yellows bring warmth and light into dark rooms, and pale yellows make small rooms seem larger. It's also a great kitchen color.

· Blue - Denotes harmony, peace, steadfastness and loyalty. While it's appropriate for any room, blue is an excellent bedroom color because it makes one feel comforted and serene. It can also soften rooms that are over-bright. A favorite color for boys.

· Orange - This color combines the energy of red with the intellectual associations of yellow. Dominant and lively, it's a fun choice for bathrooms and work areas. Peachy oranges have a delicate effect, while brownish oranges (like terra cotta) give off warm, cozy vibes. Many living rooms that give a "den" feeling are orange.

· Green - Refreshing and pleasing to the eye, this color makes dim apartments seem more vibrant by bringing a garden-like atmosphere indoors. With its varying shades, green works in just about any room, unless the shade is very dark.

· Violet - Strong and majestic, violet is a powerful accent color. Pastel violets take on the characteristics of red or blue depending on which is more prominent in the shade. (Lilac, for example, takes on blue's characteristics, while lavender takes on red's qualities.)

· Black - You probably like heavy metal, S&M, or some combination thereof. Either way, it's way more than we want to know about you. So don't paint a room black. It'll freak people out. Black walls also tend to look dirty because dust shows up very clearly and it'll downsize the room.

· Deep "warm" colors give a room an intimate, cozy feel: red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow. Having matching items really helps to bring this home.

· Light "cool" colors make a room seem more spacious and elegant: green, blue-green, blue, and blue-violet provide a nice touch to any room that is well decorated. White also has this effect.

One of the biggest problems that painters face is that what looks to be "orange" on the sample in the store turns out to be "brown" on your wall. So it's incredibly important to pick the right shade of paint by examining it under different sources of light. Here are some tips:

1. Examine the paint you desire under both natural light and the bulbs that light up the room to be painted. Again a color that looks perfect under the store's fluorescent rays will turn to bilious shades at home.

2. Get samples of the paints you like, coat large sheets of poster board to get a sense of the paint and prop them up around the room to be painted. Look at them at different times of day, because morning light will have a different impact than sunset light. This will help you narrow your choice and prevent costly mistakes.

3. Lighting fixtures also play a part. Diffused light will enrich the color of walls and ceilings, whereas spotlights which focus on certain points will change the color and add shadows to other areas.

4. Also look at the poster boards when the room is furnished as it will be after the paint job. Furniture and curtains absorb light and create a different effect than an empty room. You'll also be able to see if the paint clashes with the furniture.

5. When using white or off-white paint, remember it reflects colors around it, such as a blue carpet or burgundy furniture. In general, lighter colors distort less with changes of light than deeper colors.

6. Remember, the higher the gloss in a paint, the more light it will reflect.

Brushes and rollers

Now that you know what kind of paint you're using, it's a cinch to figure out what type of brush (and/or roller) you'll need. You don't necessarily need both, but there are positives and negatives to each. Rollers help the job go faster and can make your paint job look neater. But rollers are also difficult to use in corners or weird surfaces.

No matter what, you're going to need a brush for touch-ups, but we recommend that you start with a roller too.

If you're using an oil-based paint:
· Get a brush with natural bristles.
· Get a lint free roller or a dry used roller used for latex (with 10-15 mil nap).

If you're using latex-based paint:
· Get a brush with synthetic bristles (nylon or nylon-polyester.)
· Get a synthetic (nylon) roller.

One last note: rollers come in different pile depths, meaning the thickness of fiber used on the roller. The rule of thumb is to use a smoother pile with the smoother surface and the rugged piles with the rougher surfaces (so they can reach into the nooks and crannies). In other words, the shinnier the finish look will be, the shorter the roler nap should be.

The room
Preparing previously painted walls
Preparing previously wallpapered walls

1. Remove all furniture out of the room, if possible. If not, pull all furniture away from the walls toward the center of the room (try to get at least 3 feet from each wall) and cover everything with a plastic or canvas tarp. Make sure that none of the furniture (not even the legs) are showing.
2. Next, cover the floor with additional tarps.
3. Take all mirrors and any wall hangings from the walls.
4. Remove light fixtures and anything else that may be hanging from the ceiling if you're painting the ceiling.
5. Carefully remove all electrical outlet covers and light switch covers.

1. If heavily soiled, wash walls with a mild household cleanser to remove dirt, grease and any stains. Heavy dirt can cause paint to adhere poorly.
2. Rinse well to prevent soap residue from reacting to the new paint layer.
3. Remove loose paint with sandpaper or scraper of some kind such a putty knife.
4. Patch holes, dents and cracks by pressing spackle into them with a 2 inch putty knife or a 4 inch drywall knife. Let dry and run your fingers over the patch. If there is a lump sand gently. If it has shrunk, apply another coat of coupond.
5. Sand patches until smooth and flat making sure there are no ridges or shrunken areas.
5. Sand glossy or nonporous surfaces with sandpaper to help the paint adhere. Wipe off or vacuum off any resulting dust.
6. Apply primer sealet.This will seal the wall and create a nonporous surface for the paint to adhere to. You can also tint the primer to resemble the final color you will be applying by asking our paint retailer to do so.

1. Remove all wallpaper before painting. This can be a trying experience to say the least. We recommend steaming the wallpaper off the walls with a professional steamer. If that's not an option, prepare to do a lot of scraping. Use Bulldog scrub pads (Fine) with hot water to get final layer of glue off walls.
2. Patch holes, dents and cracks with spackle compound/caulking and let dry. Double coat compound where necessary.
3. Sand gently to get rid of unevenness and any ridges from excess compound.
4. Apply primer-sealer.

Generally, you should start painting from one of the wall/ceiling corners until you reach the other end and then from top to bottom (on walls.) On ceilings that are being painted with a flat finish, you can do the brush work around all sides before rolling. Any brush work/rolller overlap that has dried by the time you roll your paint won't show since it all dries flat and is, for all intents and purposes, invisible to the eye. If you're painting a wall, start at the top corners and work your way across the wall, cutting (brush work) from side to side and then down each corner.

To make sure you are doing things in the order they should be done, stick to the order on this list:
A - Ceilings
B - Walls
C - Floors
D - Doors
E - Windows

Ceilings
1. You should always paint the ceiling first. Start out by painting a 2 or 3 inch strip at the top where the ceiling meets the wall starting in the corner. This is called 'cutting in' and it makes your paint job look nice and neat. You will use a long-handled roller to do the rest.
2. Pour paint into roller tray.
3. Dip the roller in paint and remove excess paint by sliding/rolling the roller over the tray's ramp.
4. Start rolling in the corner and go along the shortest length of the ceiling to keep the paint fresh and wet.
5. When painting walls, paint while the brushwork is wet to prevent an overlap.
6. Do not stop the roller in mid-stroke. Rather feather the roller out and away from the fresh paint.
7. Continue until the ceiling is done.
8. Apply a second coat in the exact same way once the first coat has dried.

Walls
1. Start painting the walls only when the ceiling is completely dry. Flat latex dries in about 1/2 hour to an hour.
2. Use masking tape to cover the edge of baseboards and other trim if those areas are not being painted.
3. Cut in the wall using a brush on top of the wall where it meets the ceiling starting from one end to the other.
5. With a roller, paint immediately over this cut in to prevent the paint from drying. Repeat procedure painting one wall at a time.
6. Paint each wall in sections making sure one section is rolled out smooth before starting the next section. Start each section right away before the last section starts to dry and repeat until the wall is complete.
7. Apply a second coat in the exact same way once the first coat has dried.

Floors
Always start in the corner diagonally opposite to the door, lest you paint yourself into a corner. Again, do it quickly and thoroughly; the job will look blotchy if you let some parts dry.

Doors
1. Cover knobs, locks and all hardware with masking tape or remove them during paint application. give the surface a good day to dry before re-installing hardware.
2. If the door is flat, treat it like a wall and don't forget to paint the edges (both the side with the hinges and the side with the lock).
3. If the door has panels, do the interior panel edges first and then the inside of the panel. Continue to paint the rest of the door.
4. Apply a second coat in the exact same way once the first coat has dried.

Windows
Windows are not as easy as they look. For starters, you don't want to paint them shut, especially if you live in a hot place. There are two types of windows, so figure out which ones you have and follow the directions.

Finally, remember that you should keep the windows open in a painted room for a couple days to let the paint cure. If you must close them, apply a thin layer of vaseline using a finger to the area that the window comes in contact with when closed. Clean up later when you are ready to leave window open for a few days.

Once you feel confident in your paint handling skills, test yourself by taking it up a notch for some special effects. If done right, these effects can spruce up a room quite nicely while making a statement about the artist in you.

Sponging (that is, using a sponge to add some interesting splotchy color to the walls) can be done in a number of ways: with light colors over a white base coat or layering dramatic colors. Sponging is a useful technique in areas where you want to liven up a small space or add texture to a large expanse of wall. You can also use it, as with the other special effects, on only one wall in a room for variety and paint the other walls with either the background or the top layer of paint.

1. Prepare surfaces as described in step 2.
2. Paint walls with the background color of your choice.
3. Let the walls dry.
4. Find a sponge with the desired texture, either a kitchen sponge or a funky sea sponge. Test it out first on a poster with your background color on it.
5. Wet the sponge and dip into the paint you have chosen for the top layer. Pour the paint into a roller pan or a tray or plate.
6. Blot extra paint from the sponge onto a paper towel.
7. Dab the sponge onto the wall.
8. Continuously reapply paint to the sponge so the paint doesn't fade. Rinse the sponge with water if it gets overloaded or clogged and squeeze out excess water.
9. As you work, step back from the wall periodically to ensure you have the right amount of paint on the sponge and that the result looks good.
10. Rotate the sponge every so often to get a varied effect. Remember to let some of the background color show through. You want the finla look to be consistent across the wall.
11. If using more than one color of paint, remember not to sponge too heavily with the first coat; otherwise the base coat will not show through.
12. Remember that LESS IS MORE. This is supposed to be subtle, not overbearing.

This technique lets you add texture and depth to a wall with a geometric or wavy look. It is achieved by running a notched window squeegee over wet paint. It actually puts lines in your paint job, leaving lines on the wall. It can make a wall look quite interesting and if done properly quite visually appealling.

1. Cover trim and adjoining ceiling space with masking tape.
2. Prepare surfaces as described in step 2.
3. Apply paint and let dry for one day.
4. Buy a specially prepared comb at the hardware store (or make one by cutting notches into a window squeegee). Cut the notches as small or large as you want, and space them evenly across the squeegee.
5. You can achieve various effects either by combing wet paint in one direction (e.g., ceiling to floor), making wavy lines (vertically or horizontally), or go for a plaid-effect by doing both horizontal and vertical strokes.
6. On a small patch of wet paint, try out what you have in mind. When you've committed to a look, use even pressure throughout the stroke.
7. If doing horizontal squiggles, use a roller across the wall and follow quickly with the squeegee. Repeat the process, using the squeegee to make parallel lines. Never stop the squeegee in mid-stroke.
8. If doing vertical lines, use the roller from ceiling to floor and squeegee over the fresh paint.
9. Repeat the process to cover the wall. Be quick, or the paint will dry and you will get a less defined effect.

This technique involves rolling cloth over wet paint, leaving a cool looking textured effect.

1. Any clean cloth can be used. You might want to experiment with different materials on a small section of wall before starting. Try various textures such as cotton sheets, terry-cloth towels or potato sacks for a range of effects. Or you can buy a specially covered roller from the paint store.
2. Prepare surfaces as described in step 2.
3. Apply paint and let dry for one day.
4. Cover small sections with the desired paint color. You can use either oil-based or latex paint.
5. Put on some gloves.
6. Dip a bunched cloth across in a tray of differently-colored wet paint.
7. Roll it up and down or in all directions on the wall, depending on the look you want.
8. Repeat until entire section is done.
9. If you want a more uniform look for an entire wall, try using one long rolled-up cloth such as a bed sheet. Get a friend or two to help you cover the entire wall at once.

If you used oil-based paint, don't breathe too deeply or you'll kill some brain cells with turpentine fumes. Instead, follow these instructions for cleaning up safely:

Brushes
1. In a bucket, soak the brushes in turpentine or paint solvent and rub bristles together to release paint. Clean brushes by working solvent into bristles squeezing out as much paint and solvent as possible. You might want to wear gloves for this experience.
2. Repeat until paint disappears.
3. Continue to rinse in new solvent until clean.
4. Wash in soapy water, rinse and let dry.
5. Wrap and store in heavy paper or the original brush cover/sleeve.
6. Do not pour the solvent down the drain. Rather, keep the used solvent in a sealed container and call your town or garbage pick-up service to see what your options are.

Rollers
Disassemble and submerge roller in solvent. When most paint has been worked out, wash the cover in mild detergent and rinse in clear water. Hang roller to dry.

Latex-based paints: Follow above cleaning procedure, substituting soapy water for paint solvent. Use soap and water, rinse throroughly and pat yourself on the back.

Most communities have a designated day for hazardous household waste disposal.
As far as leftover paint is concerned, PLEASE do not pour it down the sink or in the toilet. Paint is extremely hazardous to the environment and must be disposed of properly. If you don't want to keep your spare paint on hand for touch ups, think about donating it to a charity or Habitat for Humanity. If no one wants it, call your town or garbage pick-up service to see what your options are. In some areas, latex paint cans be dried out and tossed in household garbage. Oil-based paints and solvents are flammable and probably will be taken care of during hazardous household waste disposal day. If your community does not have one, call your state environmental agency or an area hardware store for guidance.

And now you can show off to all of your friends how you were able to paint your own beautiful room.

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