Giving your rooms a fresh lick of paint is a great way of giving your home a new lease of life. But if you’ve never tried painting before, you may feel a bit unsure of how to approach it, or how to get a professional finish. In this blog we will show you the tools that you need and how to paint a room like a professional!

What you will need:

Paint of choice

Paint roller

Dustsheet

Sugar soap

Gloves/goggles

Masking tape

Small brush/roller for edges

Filler/Sealant (if walls need)

Sandpaper (if painting over satin/gloss paint)

How to paint a room – instructions:

Step 1 – Pick a colour!

Of course the first thing you will need to do if you haven’t already is decide on a colour, or colours! You can always get some tester pots to try out different ones to see which you like best. You also need to make sure that you buy the right amount of paint for the job.

Step 2 – Lay out your dustsheets

Make sure you have dustsheets laid out so that your paint won’t get anywhere it shouldn’t! Make sure your floor and any nearby furniture is covered.

Step 3 – Inspect your walls for blemishes

Before getting started it is important to have a close inspection of the walls that you will be painting. Make sure that there are no debris, bumps, flaking paint or holes. If you do find any holes you can use filler to fill it in and then seal it with sealant. https://www.fairwayrock.com/p/polycell-quick-dry-white-ready-mixed-filler-600g

For flakes and bumps on your walls you can use a scraper to even it out before sealing with sealant. If your walls are currently painted with a gloss or satin paint, you should rub sandpaper on the walls so that the paint will stick. Make sure you use the sandpaper in circular motions and don’t press down too hard.

Step 4 – Give your walls a clean

Now you’ve inspected your walls, it is time to make sure they are squeaky clean before you get to painting them! Sugar soap is a good option to remove dirt and dust, just make sure that you wear goggles and gloves whilst you are working with this as sugar soap can be irritating. Dilute the sugar soap in a bucket of water and apply it with a sponge.

Step 5 – Apply masking tape

After the wall has dried down, use masking tape to cover up your sockets, and skirting boards so that they don’t get covered in paint. You can also use masking tape around the edges of walls that you aren’t painting, or are painting a different colour, so you get a clean finish. Between coats you should remove the masking tape and then reapply to prevent the adhesive from removing any of the paint.

Step 6 – Get painting!

Now you can start painting! If you have chosen a darker shade of paint, it is a good idea to use a primer first. You’ll find a grey primer easier to cover. Make sure you give your paint a good stir before you start to apply it. Use a paint roller and apply the paint. you can use a small brush or a smaller roller to paint the edges and corners. Wait a few hours and then apply your second coat if you feel you need it. Two coats usually give better coverage and colour. After waiting roughly 4 hours, your paint should be dry and you can remove your masking tape. Now you can step back and admire your walls!

We hope you have found this blog helpful and that you feel more confident in how to paint a room! Let us know in the comments what colour you went for!

Tags: decorating, diy, home, homedecor, interiordesign, painting, renovation