Painting a Room 101
by Megan Thriepland
Before Painting
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Remove furniture from the room or cover it with a drop cloth.
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Remove electrical outlet and switch plates.
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Use a bright light to find any flaws in the wall.
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Patch any holes you find with spackling. I prefer to us
DryDex, because it goes on pink and turns white once
dry so you know exactly when it's ready to be sanded.
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Sanding can be a messy job, but sanding the walls before painting is
important to get a great final result.
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The paint will not adhere to a dirty surface so wash the walls by attaching a damp cloth to a dry swiffer.
Supplies
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Paint
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Primer
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Paint brushes
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Drop cloths or tarp
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Putty knife
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Painters tape
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Damp rag
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Paint rollers
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Roller poles
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Paint tray
7. Use drop cloths - the last thing you want is to ruin your floor while remodeling the room.
8. If you’re painting around windows on a French door or painting window frames, the best way to save time is to skip the tape and scrape the windows once the paint is dry.
9. If the trim needs to be painted do this first.
10. Use paint tray liners for easy clean up.
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11. Make sure that the paint is well mixed.
While Painting
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Place a rubber band over the top of your can to use to wipe excess paint from your brush.
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Use primer, especially if you're painting a dark or brightly coloured wall with a lighter colour. This will save you using many coats of paint to cover the existing colour.
3. Do edging at the ceiling first, that way you get the k tedious task done first and get a nicer finish. The best way to do this is by painting once near the edge leaving a gap, then a second time on the edge, this helps your brush slide better along the edge.
4. Load your brush, this reduces the risk of brush strokes.
5. Apply a second coat. No matter how good you are at painting, a second coat will always be necessary red paint will require multiple coats).
​Hi! I'm Megan, Owner of Blue Pearl Staging and staging decorator. In my BLOG you'll find helpful information on decorating, tips for home staging, DIY projects and much more.
After Painting
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Check for drips before they dry.
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Remove painters tape before paint dries, pulling at an angle. If you forget and the paint is already dry, run an Exacto blade along the edge of the tape before removing it.
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Wash all your supplies when you're done.
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If you only have a small amount of extra paint left, pour it into a plastic bottle and add a marble for easy stirring. And label with room name for storage
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Replace electrical outlets and switch plates.
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Put furniture back.