How to Paint Any Room in Your House

Here are some painting tips that will show you how to paint any room easily.

The first thing you need to do is prepare your walls correctly and have the proper supplies and equipement at hand.

The proper types of paint to use will depend on the room you are painting and how you will be using that room.

Interior paint comes in either oil (alkyd) or water based (latex). If you are painting a room that will be moist, such as a bathroom or kitchen, you will need an oil based paint. A latex, water based paint should be fine for other areas.

Paints come in a variety of finishes and their names are descriptive of the final look of the finish - glossy, semi-gloss, satin, eggshell and flat.

A glossy paint results in a very shiny, easy to clean finish, but it reflects a lot of light, giving your room a brighter look. It also shows dirt and smudges quite clearly. Semi-gloss is nearly the same, but with a lower shine. They both work well for high humidity rooms (such as kitchens and bathrooms) and for trim.

Satin finish paint has a mild sheen. It also cleans up easily. Satin finish paints can be used on any interior wall. Eggshell paints are similar, with even less sheen. They go on smooth and can be the perfect look for many rooms in your home.

Flat finish paint is what it sounds like. It goes on thin and leaves a matte, non-shiny look, with little light reflection, which may be just the right look for certain areas such as bedrooms.

Flat paints help mask wall defects, such as small scratches. That makes wall touch up the perfect application for a flat paint. Ceilings are also an ideal application for a flat finish paint.

Here are some other painting tips that will have others asking YOU how to paint:

How to Paint a Ceiling

If you need to paint the ceiling, paint that first. New types of paint available now are lightly tinted to show you where you have painted and where you missed, but will dry a clear white color. They can save you a lot of time by not having to redo patches of the ceiling.

Painting a ceiling is best done with a roller.

Roller Selection

Have someone at the paint store help you with roller selection. The most important thing to consider when selecting the roller is the nap length. Generally, the longer the nap, the rougher the final look will be. Rollers with long naps will be best for rough wall surfaces. Use a roller with a smaller nap (depth of the plush) for smooth walls.

How to Paint with Oil-Based Paints

Oil-based or alkyd paints require a little more care in their application because they have a tendency to drip more and leave runs. They also require more smoothing.

How to Paint a Wall

It is important to learn how to paint the walls in a way that ensures you don't leave marks that will show where you started and where you left off. Paint a small area at a time. 4 or 5 square feet works well. That allows you to keep a wet leading edge to ensure there are no overlap marks left when it dries.

Take care not to move too fast. If you do, paint will fling off the roller as it moves and you will end up with paint spatters all over you and everything else that is uncovered. (Believe me, I have done it many times in my zeal to get it done). Slower and steadier is best.

Use a "W" motion when you apply the paint. That is, roll the paint at angles like the letter W first, to spread the paint evenly on that section of the wall and then roll the roller back and forth over the section to fill it in.

When you get to the areas of the wall that are near the trim and baseboard, use a brush. Even if you taped the area well with masking tape, some paint from the roller will find its way under the tape and you will have a mess.

A technique called 'cutting in' is used with in those areas.

How to Paint Using the Cutting In Technique

Cutting in does require a steady hand, but you can manage it. Dip your brush into the paint can or tray only about two inches deep. Scrape any excess paint onto the edge of the can so the brush doesn't drip heavily. Move the brush to the wall and gently paint close to the edge, taking care not to touch the masking taped trim.

The last step is to go over the same strip near the edge horizontally, in order to smooth out any lines you may have produced by cutting in.

That's it. Just repeat these steps all around your room and you will have painted your first room in no time.