Interior Painting
Interior Painting is what most people envision when they think of doing some painting at home. Painting your walls, ceilings, and trim can be a great way to completely change the style and mood of a room for not very much money. If you follow my tips and suggestions for interior painting, you will get professional results in no time. Let's get started!
Prepare the room
1. If you are painting all the walls and the ceiling then the best option is to remove everything from the room: drapery, furniture, lamps, etc. Make sure all walls are clear of hangings. If you are not painting the ceiling then simply pushing everything to the middle of the room will be fine.
2. Cover up anything and everything that might still be in the room that you don't want to risk getting paint on. Plastic drop cloths actually work well for this, as do the canvas type.
3. Remove all switchplates, air vents, and outlet covers.
4. Use lightweight spackle (not putty) to fill in all unwanted nail holes or other blemishes in the wall. For small holes simply dabbing the hole with some spackle on your finger works great, for larger holes use a spackle or putty knife to fill the hole evenly. Wait 15 minutes or so (depending on the brand of spackle) then sand smooth.
5. If you are using tape for baseboard, door trim, or window trim apply it evenly in one of the two following ways; 1. tear 18" - 24" strips, line them up with the trim, and make sure to overlap the ends so that when you tear the tape off all you will have to do is pull on one end of the tape and the whole section comes off 2. do one continuous piece the entire way around the rooms baseboard, the window trim, door trim, etc. With both methods, just make sure to allow the tape to follow the natural caulk line or 90 degree edge of where trim meets wall.
2. Cover up anything and everything that might still be in the room that you don't want to risk getting paint on. Plastic drop cloths actually work well for this, as do the canvas type.
3. Remove all switchplates, air vents, and outlet covers.
4. Use lightweight spackle (not putty) to fill in all unwanted nail holes or other blemishes in the wall. For small holes simply dabbing the hole with some spackle on your finger works great, for larger holes use a spackle or putty knife to fill the hole evenly. Wait 15 minutes or so (depending on the brand of spackle) then sand smooth.
5. If you are using tape for baseboard, door trim, or window trim apply it evenly in one of the two following ways; 1. tear 18" - 24" strips, line them up with the trim, and make sure to overlap the ends so that when you tear the tape off all you will have to do is pull on one end of the tape and the whole section comes off 2. do one continuous piece the entire way around the rooms baseboard, the window trim, door trim, etc. With both methods, just make sure to allow the tape to follow the natural caulk line or 90 degree edge of where trim meets wall.
Tools you will need!
The following are the typical tools you will need to paint walls and trim in your home:
1. high quality 9" long 1/2" nap roller cover - do not buy the cheapest one you can find or your walls will show the quality of the roller
2. good 9" roller frame- there are many types to choose from, just look for a sturdy one that does not flex when you press moderately hard on it
3. 9" roller tray- any sturdy metal or plastic tray will work fine, you also have the option of buying tray liners for this so that you don't have to wash the tray out each time, also, look for a liner that can hold more than just a quart or two of paint, a small tray is a pain as you will have to continually refill it.
4. high quality 2 1/2" angled brush- this seems to be the preferred size for most people, quality is extremely important when choosing a brush
5. cut pot- this is the pot you will dip your brush in for "cutting in" or painting trim. Typically I pour most of the gallon of paint into the roller tray first leaving enough in the gallon pot for cutting in. VOILA, a cut pot!
5. high quality 1 1/2" or 2" angled brush for the trim
6. drop cloth- plastic will work for this however canvas or canvas type with butyl lining is better, plastic is slippery and easily punctured
7. ladder or step stool depending on your particular job
This concludes the necessities for a basic paint job! However the following tools might come in handy depending on your comfort level with painting and depending on the particular job:
goggles or safety glasses, protective gloves, cut in brushes, ladder pail hooks, putty knife, spackle, sand paper, tape, extension poles, etc.
1. high quality 9" long 1/2" nap roller cover - do not buy the cheapest one you can find or your walls will show the quality of the roller
2. good 9" roller frame- there are many types to choose from, just look for a sturdy one that does not flex when you press moderately hard on it
3. 9" roller tray- any sturdy metal or plastic tray will work fine, you also have the option of buying tray liners for this so that you don't have to wash the tray out each time, also, look for a liner that can hold more than just a quart or two of paint, a small tray is a pain as you will have to continually refill it.
4. high quality 2 1/2" angled brush- this seems to be the preferred size for most people, quality is extremely important when choosing a brush
5. cut pot- this is the pot you will dip your brush in for "cutting in" or painting trim. Typically I pour most of the gallon of paint into the roller tray first leaving enough in the gallon pot for cutting in. VOILA, a cut pot!
5. high quality 1 1/2" or 2" angled brush for the trim
6. drop cloth- plastic will work for this however canvas or canvas type with butyl lining is better, plastic is slippery and easily punctured
7. ladder or step stool depending on your particular job
This concludes the necessities for a basic paint job! However the following tools might come in handy depending on your comfort level with painting and depending on the particular job:
goggles or safety glasses, protective gloves, cut in brushes, ladder pail hooks, putty knife, spackle, sand paper, tape, extension poles, etc.
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The basics of applying paint
I always paint in the following order: ceiling, walls, then trim. (The following tips are also how you will apply any primer coating except for the backrolling. For more on when you need to use a primer check out the faq pg.)
Ceilings and Walls: (same basic principals apply)
1. "Cut in" your walls or ceiling with your brush. Using your brush you will pretty much border the wall with a 2"-3" band of paint. Notice you "should not" use tape to cut in against the ceiling or against other walls. The only time I will occasionally use tape in a corner is if there is an accent wall of a vibrant color as these colors seem to bleed and run a lot more about that later. Most people who have not done much painting are freaked out about the idea of cutting in the wall to the ceiling with no tape. Just trust me when I say you will get much better results without taping. Why do you never see a professional tape a cut in line against a ceiling? To cut in a ceiling or a wall that shares a corner with a different colored wall is not as difficult as it seems. Simply get a reasonable amount of paint on your brush, but not so much that after tapping the brush against the edge of the can it's still dripping. Then place your brush on the wall at a 90 degree angle to the edge you are cutting in and slowly apply force to the brush. The brush will "flatten out" against the wall and the bristles will creep up to barely touch the edge you are cutting in. Then slowly and smoothly do a straight brush stroke to follow the line of the wall or ceiling you are cutting against. Do not waste your time trying to get to far with one brushfull of paint. Dip and repeat as many times as necessary. Also, cut in one wall then roll that wall immediately, repeat this throughout the room. This pattern assures that the cut in line will not show in the final product, whereas if the cut in line is completely dry before painting that wall then you will see a "hatband" affect. This skill will take a room or two worth of painting to get a handle on, but the results always look better than a taped corner line. I will attempt to get a video up soon of me demonstrating this technique. The good news is that this is the hardest part of painting.
2. Attach your frame to a pole if the height of the wall makes it necessary and slide the roller cover over the frame. Next make sure to get enough paint on your roller so that it's evenly covered but not dripping off. Start on one end of the wall and begin painting in a pattern that you feel comfortable and one that covers the wall well. It does not matter that much whether you like to paint v's and fill them in, go in lines down the wall, or any other pattern. Just be sure that your roller never gets really dry and make sure to cover the entire wall thoroughly. The important part of painting any flat surface with a roller is to make sure that when you have finished applying a coat on the wall to go back and back roll the entire wall. This is a step that separates a great looking paint job from an okay one. Backrolling is simply the process of taking your damp roller cover (not soaking and not dry) and starting on the end of the wall or ceiling you started painting first, start at the top close to the ceiling and bring the roller down the wall and as close to the baseboard or other end of the ceiling as you dare in one even motion. Do this the entire way across the wall or ceiling. Your goal is to make sure than any start and stop roller marks that were on the wall are all blended together.
Trim:
I always save the trim to last so that no paint from a roller cover or brush sprays or drips on the final beautiful coat of trim paint. Painting trim is very simple. Simply do the following.
1. If the trim is against a hard surface such as a ceiling, wall, or hard surface floor, then all you need to do is to tape off the surface around the trim. Next, get paint on your brush and start on one end of the piece of trim and begin painting with smooth strokes. As you paint down the piece of trim, make sure to end each progressing stroke of your brush by dragging back into the wet paint you just painted. This will assure that you will get fewer "lap marks" and brush strokes.
2. If you are painting against a carpet or rug that cannot be moved then painting trim becomes a bit trickier but still very doable. First make sure to vacuum the edge of the carpet the whole way around the baseboard and all door trim. If you do not vacuum you will almost certainly get dust bunnies, pet hair, and other unwanted intruders in your brush as you are painting. Next tape off any hard surfaces that abut the trim. Then simply paint as above as close to the carpet as you dare. Several techniques that work are: use a long 12" putty knife/joint knife to press down the carpet as you are painting, taping down the carpet if it is a low pile, or if you have room under the baseboard the you can place plastic or paper underneath the trim to shield the carpet.
Ceilings and Walls: (same basic principals apply)
1. "Cut in" your walls or ceiling with your brush. Using your brush you will pretty much border the wall with a 2"-3" band of paint. Notice you "should not" use tape to cut in against the ceiling or against other walls. The only time I will occasionally use tape in a corner is if there is an accent wall of a vibrant color as these colors seem to bleed and run a lot more about that later. Most people who have not done much painting are freaked out about the idea of cutting in the wall to the ceiling with no tape. Just trust me when I say you will get much better results without taping. Why do you never see a professional tape a cut in line against a ceiling? To cut in a ceiling or a wall that shares a corner with a different colored wall is not as difficult as it seems. Simply get a reasonable amount of paint on your brush, but not so much that after tapping the brush against the edge of the can it's still dripping. Then place your brush on the wall at a 90 degree angle to the edge you are cutting in and slowly apply force to the brush. The brush will "flatten out" against the wall and the bristles will creep up to barely touch the edge you are cutting in. Then slowly and smoothly do a straight brush stroke to follow the line of the wall or ceiling you are cutting against. Do not waste your time trying to get to far with one brushfull of paint. Dip and repeat as many times as necessary. Also, cut in one wall then roll that wall immediately, repeat this throughout the room. This pattern assures that the cut in line will not show in the final product, whereas if the cut in line is completely dry before painting that wall then you will see a "hatband" affect. This skill will take a room or two worth of painting to get a handle on, but the results always look better than a taped corner line. I will attempt to get a video up soon of me demonstrating this technique. The good news is that this is the hardest part of painting.
2. Attach your frame to a pole if the height of the wall makes it necessary and slide the roller cover over the frame. Next make sure to get enough paint on your roller so that it's evenly covered but not dripping off. Start on one end of the wall and begin painting in a pattern that you feel comfortable and one that covers the wall well. It does not matter that much whether you like to paint v's and fill them in, go in lines down the wall, or any other pattern. Just be sure that your roller never gets really dry and make sure to cover the entire wall thoroughly. The important part of painting any flat surface with a roller is to make sure that when you have finished applying a coat on the wall to go back and back roll the entire wall. This is a step that separates a great looking paint job from an okay one. Backrolling is simply the process of taking your damp roller cover (not soaking and not dry) and starting on the end of the wall or ceiling you started painting first, start at the top close to the ceiling and bring the roller down the wall and as close to the baseboard or other end of the ceiling as you dare in one even motion. Do this the entire way across the wall or ceiling. Your goal is to make sure than any start and stop roller marks that were on the wall are all blended together.
Trim:
I always save the trim to last so that no paint from a roller cover or brush sprays or drips on the final beautiful coat of trim paint. Painting trim is very simple. Simply do the following.
1. If the trim is against a hard surface such as a ceiling, wall, or hard surface floor, then all you need to do is to tape off the surface around the trim. Next, get paint on your brush and start on one end of the piece of trim and begin painting with smooth strokes. As you paint down the piece of trim, make sure to end each progressing stroke of your brush by dragging back into the wet paint you just painted. This will assure that you will get fewer "lap marks" and brush strokes.
2. If you are painting against a carpet or rug that cannot be moved then painting trim becomes a bit trickier but still very doable. First make sure to vacuum the edge of the carpet the whole way around the baseboard and all door trim. If you do not vacuum you will almost certainly get dust bunnies, pet hair, and other unwanted intruders in your brush as you are painting. Next tape off any hard surfaces that abut the trim. Then simply paint as above as close to the carpet as you dare. Several techniques that work are: use a long 12" putty knife/joint knife to press down the carpet as you are painting, taping down the carpet if it is a low pile, or if you have room under the baseboard the you can place plastic or paper underneath the trim to shield the carpet.