How to paint a room

A good coat of paint can be the best solution to improve the appearance of any room in our home. Best of all, it is not necessary to master all the techniques to paint walls to achieve good results, but with a little knowledge and some work it is easy to leave any room perfect.

Painting a double room, a living room, a kitchen or any other room in your home is a relatively simple task, which allows you to renew and change the appearance of your house. You have the proof in the numerous ideas to paint a room that we can find both on the net and in numerous decoration magazines. 

To get them started, it is enough to have some notions about how to paint walls, ceilings and any other surface in your home. This is precisely what we are going to do in this small guide: offer you the necessary advice so that you can take care of your project with ease.

The project design

The first thing we must do is plan our painting project. With a wide range of paint colors for bedrooms, living rooms or kitchens, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild. Even more so if we choose to combine colors on the walls or play with some techniques, such as stucco or sponge.

However, it is obvious that painting a youth room is not the same as one for adults or an office, so the use that the room is going to have and the preferences of its users should always be in our minds. The same goes for the furniture in that room. As an example, elements such as cabinets, shelves or bed rails, if we talk about bedrooms, can help us choose colors that are more in harmony with that environment and achieve an integral result.

Once the color is decided, the most typical question comes when buying materials: how much paint do I need to paint a room? The calculation is as simple as measuring the walls or the ceiling and calculating its total area, multiplying the height by the width. Once this surface is known, it is enough to divide it by the performance of the paint, which is expressed in square meters per liter and is indicated on the can. 

The result will be the estimated amount of paint that we must buy, although it is always advisable to buy more than is needed. This is due to the fact that the yields do not always match what is expected and also to the need to have a little paint left over, in case we have to do touch-ups later. By the way, regarding how much it costs to paint a room, the issue depends on the amount of paint, but also on its quality. However, a good and more expensive paint always lasts longer than a cheap one, which is usually of poorer quality.

Prepare the wall for painting

Once we have clear colors to paint a bedroom, a living room or the corresponding room and we have bought both the paint and the accessories that we will need for its application, it is time to get down to work.

A good part of the final result depends on a good preparation of the wall, so do not skimp on time in this task. For this preparation, we must remove nails, switch covers and other elements of the wall. We will fill the holes with putty, applying it with a spatula and sanding it once dry.

The next step is to apply a sealer primer, which helps the paint adhere better and prevents the wall from absorbing too much paint. It is key to use a specific sealant for painting in damp rooms, although we also have the option of using a quality anti- humidity paint, which simplifies the application and preserves the good results and finishes.

By the way, if you don’t know how to paint a room in two colors or more, this moment is key. Basically because at this point is when we will separate the areas of different colors with masking tape, especially if they are part of the same wall. If you are going to paint a wall in one color and the one next to it in another, you can do without the tape, although you must have a good hand so as not to overdo it when painting.

Where the tape should not be missing is when it comes to protecting skirting boards, door frames, switches and any other element that cannot be removed from the ceiling or walls. Better cover more today than clean tomorrow.

how to paint walls

At this point, it’s time to open the cans and get our hands dirty. To paint walls, it is recommended to do it with a roller, adjusted to the characteristics of the wall. We will always move it from top to bottom, distributing the paint well throughout the wall and reloading the roller when necessary. This technique is the same when it comes to knowing how to paint a ceiling, although in this case it is key to maintain stable pressure on the surface, so that the paint is distributed as it should. 

Once the wall painting is finished, it is time to make the cutouts. These are executed in the area of ​​the skirting boards, the corners of the walls and other complex areas. It is very important to have a good hand, although among the tricks to paint walls comfortably there are various tools that simplify this process. You can also count on the help of cardboard or similar, with which to cover the area that you do not want to paint and protect it properly. By the way, some painters prefer to cut first and paint later and others do it the other way around. Everything is a matter of taste.

Finishing off the job

After waiting for the paint to dry and giving the second coat, if necessary, all that remains is to finish the job. The first thing we must do is remove all the body tape and other protection elements that we have used. Don’t wait too long, since you can take part of the finished painting with you.

Once the protections have been removed, it is advisable to evaluate the wall in search of areas that have been poorly painted or inadequately covered. Something fundamental when we change the color of the room. This will also be the time to check the area of ​​the cutouts, in case we have left any space uncovered.

After this phase, it is time to clean. If we have done our homework well, this task will last a short time. However, you can rely on specific products to remove these traces of paint, both from the floor and from the skirting boards. A few bad, if the paint is dry, it may be necessary to have to scratch a little with a putty knife or similar.

We finish the job by placing everything that we have removed before, such as switch trims and other elements that are necessary on the walls. This is also a good time to rethink the look of the room when it comes to placing pictures and other decorative elements, which will also come in handy for that room renovation.