Painting walls

Painting a wall is more than just taking a brush and a pot of paint. It is necessary to know the best technique, as well as to use suitable materials. Many people wonder what is the best way to paint a wall, to remodel a room or even the whole house.

To paint a wall it is not enough to have a ladder, a brush or a roller, and a pot of wall paint. To paint walls in the best way, you must understand what are the colors that improve luminosity , as well as the best techniques, tools and products for painting. When it comes to remodeling a house, painting is one of the most important tasks and, in some cases, necessary. 

In this sense, to paint walls in the best possible way, a series of techniques and guidelines are required so that there are no stains and the finish is as homogeneous as possible. Although, at first glance, it may seem simple, in reality it is not. This is because the walls can have different textures ; some are finished with plaster and are smooth, others are made of “exposed brick”, and there are also some with different reliefs, which will make the process of painting them difficult, while it is much easier to paint smooth walls.

In addition, new painting techniques appear every day, such as leaving a wall half-finished, something that is very fashionable, painting a single wall in several different colors or creating different drawings and figures, as if trying to imitate wallpaper.

If you want to learn how to paint walls, keep reading and don’t miss our tips.

1. How to paint walls: objective

The first thing you should be clear about in order to know how to paint a wall is the objective you are pursuing, as well as the type of surface you are going to paint. Painting white walls is not the same as reinforcing the color of a room or changing it completely. Each of these tasks will require a number of different materials and tools.

2. Calculate the paint you need to paint a wall

The next thing will be to calculate the paint you will need to paint. Luckily, this is a very simple process, whether to paint a house or its exterior, you just have to do a series of very simple calculations to obtain the total area that you are going to paint.

In this sense, you only have to add the measurements of all the walls. To do this, first of all, you must find the surface in square meters of a wall, this is done by multiplying the width and height of it. Once you have found all the surfaces, you will only have to add them to obtain the total surface. In this sense, to know how to paint a room, you have to remember that the ceiling is also part of it.

Once you are clear about the total size of the surface, you can consult the label of the paint cans for walls. On them, you will find the label “paint performance” , which is indicated in square meters per liter (m2/L). 

In this sense, this performance indicates how many square meters you can paint approximately with a single liter. In addition, today some brands have a label that clearly indicates the total area that you can paint with a single bottle of wall paint.

3. How to use a paint roller

To paint with a roller, you must first wet it in the bucket and drain it by rolling it. Quickly, put the roller on the middle of the wall and go up to the ceiling, but without touching it. Without lifting it, lower it to the baseboard. In this way, go slowly, with long strokes from top to bottom until the roller dries.

Stretch the excess paint, until everything is even. Above all, do not press the roller against the wall, as stains will remain. You just have to support and roll it.

4. Tips for painting textured walls

• When painting textured walls, especially those with gotelé, keep in mind that they can absorb up to 40% more paint. This means that you will need more to get the best results.
• Depending on the quality of the paint you buy, you will have to give more than one coat of paint, to obtain the best finish.
• The rougher the wall, the longer the roller hair should be.
• Keep in mind that certain effect paints may need a primer to get a good grip.

5. Problems in houses with humidity

If you live in a house with moisture problems or if you plan to paint a room where a lot of steam is concentrated, such as a bathroom, the ideal is to buy anti-mould paint to prevent its formation.

6. Preparing to paint a room

When painting a room, the first thing to consider is ventilation. In this sense, doors and windows should be kept open while painting and while the painted walls dry.

In addition, it is necessary to have correct lighting, if it can be with natural light so that the tone of the bulbs does not influence our perception of color and finishes. 

Do not forget to cover well all the parts that you do not want to paint with masking tape. In this sense, do not forget the plugs, switches, door and window frames, as well as the line that joins the wall and the ceiling. Don’t forget to cover the floor well to avoid paint stains that could damage it.

7. How we choose the colors to paint a house

To paint a house, first of all you have to be very clear about what colors to choose. If we want to give a feeling of spaciousness, we must understand how to paint the ceilings; these should be white, as it will not only make the room brighter, but it will appear to be more spacious.

On the other hand, painting the wall in the same color as the furniture will give you a sense of depth as well as order. On the other hand, the colors for the walls of small spaces should be lighter, since they simulate a greater feeling of spaciousness, while the large ones accept darker or more intense colors.

8. How to combine paint colors

It is possible that combining the color of the paints can be a problem for more than one, especially for all those who do not have an artistic streak. Luckily, there are plenty of websites with color matching tools , as well as mobile apps like Colorsnap that let you try out different paint combinations.

9. How to paint the ceilings and choose the finish

If you want to paint the house and it has very high ceilings, you can paint it two shades darker than the walls, to get a cohesive feeling of space. Glossy finishes are ideal for bathrooms and kitchens, as they create a clean feeling, while other rooms require matt finishes, as glossy finishes in these rooms can reflect light and be annoying.

10. Know how to delegate

Although painting a wall may seem simple, as you have already seen, it is not. Many people don’t have time, others don’t want to make the effort and there are those who simply don’t know how to paint. The ideal in these cases is to hire a professional painter who takes care of everything and who does the work in the best possible way, obtaining first-class finishes.

We hope that you have taken some ideas to paint walls and that you have learned how to do it in the best way.