Faucet Trim

How to Paint a Room

Ladies and gentlemen, this is perhaps one of the most debated things in the history of the world. It's not because it's particularly difficult, or even demanding, but because everyone has done this at least once. Everybody has their own opinion as to how things should be done, and Lately, I have had the privilege of painting several rooms, which has been a rewarding, if not occasionally frustrating endeavor. Since I have done this, and spent plenty of time in the paint shop talking with some pros, I feel at least moderately qualified to give you instruction. Oh, I also made a ton of mistakes, and picked up a few handy tricks along the way.

So, without further ado, let's get to the instructions. The first thing you will need to do: Shop for supplies. There are a ton of things you will find over in the paint section of your home improvement store. Fancy gadgets abound there, and while it might be great to have a specialized tool for edging the inside corner of a wall, chances are, you will not need it. You will need a few basic supplies to get started:

1-2 drop cloths: The ones with paper on one side, and plastic on the other are very easy to manage

1 good roller with 2-3 good quality roller covers: Good rollers with smooth rolling action cost around 8 bucks. Don't cheap out here.

1 paint tray with plastic inserts: Paint tray inserts cost around $0.70 each, and will save you quite a bit of scrubbing. Once you are done with them, they are easily disposed of. Trash 'em, and put in a brand new insert.

2-3 quality brushes in widths from 1-3": Good brushes are expensive, but you can get a package for around $18 that contains 3-4 brushes at a discount. Purdy and Wooster are two excellent brands. These will be used for trim and detail work.

1-2 rolls of painter's tape: There is some surprisingly bad news on this front. The blue tape that you always see touted as painter's tape is far too sticky, and can rip the paint off the wall. It also allows paint to bleed through, and mar an otherwise freshly painted wall. We learned this the hard way while painting the trim. There is a much better tape available, called "Green Frog". This tape peels off without taking the paint with it, or allowing nearly as much bleed through. It's about $10 for 300 feet. It will be worth the $3 premium you pay, and will keep you from a world of annoyance.

1 small can of vinyl spackle, and a cheap, plastic spackling knife: You will need these to fill in various holes in your wall, along with minor dents. Anything more, and you may be looking at minor sheetrock repair.

1 pack of 120 grit sandpaper: You will be using this to rough up the surfaces, and sand down any mounds of material left over after spackling.

These are the supplies you need to apply the paint. In addition, we need to talk about the dirtiest part of painting: Getting rid of the previous color. This will be done through the application of a primer/sealant. If you skip this step, you are asking for trouble. The main problem lies in the fact that the old color will affect the tint of the new color. That's all well and good, if you like a little "lime green" in your "linen white" wall. Otherwise, follow the next few steps I am giving you to the letter.

First, remove all your outlet and lightswitch covers. Then, go through, and fill any holes you find in your wall with spackle. Let that junk dry for an 2-3 hours. Come back and sand it down, along with any other rough or raised spots on your wall. Then, coat the wall with primer. While the most popular brand is Kilz, you will find that the best coverage comes from a brand call Bullzeye 1-2-3. If I am not mistaken, it is manufactured by a company named "Ziff". You may need 1-2 coats of primer to fully neutralize the former color. If you are painting the trim a different color, go ahead and prime it at the same time you are doing the walls. You will need to wait a couple hours between each coat of primer.

Now, it is time to apply your paint. Chances are, you may already have your paint selected. If so, there is no advice I can give, because you are stuck with the stuff. If you have not yet selected it, I urge you to go down and buy paint from your local Benjamin Moore store. While Lowe's and Home Depot's paint regularly win Consumer Reports' choice for best paint, these paints are not judged by what matters to a professional. If you read the forums as much as I did before making my purchase, you will find that Ben Moore will always come out on top. Its coverage is unsurpassed, as is its ability to self-level and give you an even coat. I used it for my entire house. You will pay twice what you pay for a gallon of Lowe's paint, but you will get nearly double the coverage, and a much more colorfast paint once it cures. That's my two cents.

Since I have now stepped down off my soapbox, I will now get back to the painting. Open your paint using a flathead screwdriver, and then mix it thoroughly until each stir produces a consistent color. Pour it into the tray containing the insert. Now, take a 1.5-2" brush, and paint next to the molding, and along the baseboard, in the same color that you will be doing the wall in. This is called "cutting in". Once you have done this, it's time that you begin rolling the wall.

Put the roller cover on the roller, and move it back and forth in the paint, until the entire cover is saturated with paint. The tray will usually have bumps on the side nearest you. Roll it over these to make sure the roller is not oversaturated. Then, paint a giant "V" on the wall. Use consecutive strokes of the roller to fill in-between the V for coverage. Do this for the remainder of the room. Let it dry for 2-3 hours, until it is fully dry to the touch around the entire room. If you see any drips or runs that have dried, take this time to briskly and lightly sand them until flat. Examine the coat for any thin coverage or any inconsistencies in color. Recoat it as necessary. I like to do 2 coats of paint, just to make sure everything looks even. Wait at least 4-5 hours, and once again make sure it is dry to the touch everywhere in the room. The longer wait time is due to the fact that you will be applying tape to the surface next.

Now that your walls are fully dry, apply tape flush next to your molding and baseboards. Watch out for any miniscule gaps or wrinkles in the tape. For manageability, I suggest breaking the tape off every 4 feet or so. Any longer than this, and it becomes hard to keep the length of the tape flush against the moulding. Take some primer, and go over any spots that you may have accidentally painted with the wall color. Let it dry. Then, paint the trim. You should probably be using a semi-gloss for this. I would also recommend 2 coats for the molding as well. As soon as you finish painting the second coat, get your tape off the wall. If you don't, you have a far greater chance of trim paint bleeding onto your wall.

Think you are finished? Wrong. When you pull the tape off, there will inevitably be small smears of the trim color that invade your primary wall cover. This is not a problem. Just take a small, cheap, 3/4" inch artist's brush from any Wal-Mart, and use it to paint over any minor mistakes. Force it lightly behind the the molding if you would like to sharpen the line between the wall and trim. This slightly tedious, but this method will give you the most professional results possible.

In addition to slight messes on the wall, you will inevitably get some paint on your carpet, hardwood floor, or linoleum. This can be fixed in a matter of minutes. Just get some nail polish remover with acetone, and apply a liberal amount to the spot(unless it is hardwood floor, then just put a little on a rag, and apply directly to the affected area). Scrub it vigorously, and the paint will come right up. It will not take the color out of your carpet. I know, because I had quite a bit of cleanup to do myself. Clean your brush out by soaking it in warm, soapy water for a bit, and then rinse it out underneath your faucet. If you take care of the brush properly, it will last you for many years to come.

Now that I have you started, I've got to go. There are a few more rooms that need my attention, and I don't want to miss out on the fun. Good luck.

About the Author

Kurt Hartman is Head of Employee Training at Mobile Fleet Service, Inc. They sell
otr tires
to the mining, construction, and heavy equipment communities. Head on over to http://www.buybigtires.com to hear more of what Kurt has to say.

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