After agonizing over the right color to paint your room for days, weeks or even months, you want your paint job to look perfect. By following some basic steps, you can get professional-looking results.
Supplies
Before you start make a checklist of the supplies you'll need. The list should include: paint stirrers, drop cloths, brushes, rollers, roller pans, painter's tape, roller extensions, putty knife, ladder(s) and wet rags (for cleaning up mistakes and accidents). You might consider additional applicators, like different sizes of rollers, which will make your job easier when trying to get into smaller spaces. Foam brushes and paint pads can give trim a smoother appearance than bristle brushes.
Prep Work
Move all the furniture out of the room. If that;'s not possible, move it to the center of the room and cover with a drop cloth. Cover all floor areas with drop cloths as well. Remove all electrical plates.
Unless you are an experienced painter who has had a lot of practice with "cutting in" (painting close to trim and edges), it's best to tape anything you don't want painted, such as door, window and floor trim and light fixtures. After you are finished taping the room, run a putty knife along the tape edges to make sure they are secure and provide a tight seal. (If you are feeling impatient and decide taping is not your style, try a paint pad to cut in around trim. It will give you more control than a paint brush.)
Painting
Start by brushing on paint close to trim, light fixtures and corners. By doing the brushwork first and the walls second, you will eliminate most of the marks a brush can leave. Plus, you will have most of the tedious work done before you start on the walls.
When rolling paint on the walls, work in a three-foot "W" formation until the entire wall is finished. This will give walls a nice even finish. When it's time for a break, wait until you have completed the wall you are working on. If you don't, you could might end up with marks where wet paint overlapped dry paint.
Clean Up
Clean up brushes, rollers and all equipment directly after the painted room is complete. Leave painter's tape in place until the wet paint is still tacky. (Waiting until paint is completely dry to remove tape could result in flaking.) Wait until the next day when paint is completely dry to complete the cleanup, i.e. pick up drop cloths and move furniture back into place.
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