Painting the interior rooms is one of the best investments you can make when preparing a Phoenix area home for sale. While not necessary a home inspection issue, well-painted rooms can affect the saleability of your home. In this do-it-yourself video we show you how to paint a room properly. Start by watching our How To Prepare to Paint a Room video for tips to make sure you are ready to do the job properly.
Tools & Materials Needed
- Interior paint.
- Paint brushes.
- Paint roller and tray with plastic liner.
- Cloth or paper towels to wipe up drips and spills.
- Preparation materials as described in our How To Prepare to Paint a Room video.
Steps To Paint a Room
- Make sure the room is completely prepped and ready for painting.
- Mix the paint until it is completely uniform. Use the paint lifting technique shown in the video. If the paint is mixed properly, there should not be any thick sludge at the bottom of the can and the color should be uniform.
- If you plan to paint the ceiling, start with that first. Make sure the paint is dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions on the can before applying a second coat.
- Start with the edges and corners of the room. This is called “cutting in”. Use a good quality tapered 1.5 inch or 2 inch brush for painting the edges and corners.
- After the corners and edges are done, place the paint liner in your paint tray. If you do not have a liner, heavy duty aluminum foil can be used as a liner. Add paint to the paint tray, but do not overfill the tray. If you do, it will slosh and make a mess.
- Coat the roller with paint by running it back on forth in the tray several times. Used the ridged area above the paint level to coat the roller uniformly. If the paint started to drip when the roller is lifted from the tray, you are putting too much paint on the roller.
- Spread the paint evenly on the walls using an overlapping straight-up-and-down or “W” shaped pattern. Overlap the paint on the room’s previously coated edges and corners. Make sure there are no runs or drips on the wall. Paint should be applied in thin coats. It may take two coats to complete the task, especially if you are covering the walls with a new and different color.
- Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions before applying a second coat.
- After the pain has dried, remove any painter’s tape you may have used.