Plan, Prepare and Paint

The important steps in painting a room are: plan, prepare and paint.

Plan: You want the right paint, the right brushes and rollers, and the right tape. You also want the right amount of time to finish the job, the correct amount of paint, enough tape to cover all you need to cover, and enough drop cloth to protect the floors and furniture. Sit down and plan everything out. If you work a Monday through Friday job, perhaps set Friday night after work aside to move all the furniture out of the room, or, if you can’t move it out of the room entirely, move all the furniture to the center of the room and safely out of the way. That night, put your drop cloths over all of the furniture and on the floor at least around the walls. You can tell yourself that you won’t drip paint, but the truth is that you probably will and it is better to be prepared for it just in case. Also, if you have time that night, remove all the outlet covers, the hardware like the doorknobs, hinges, and the light fixtures. Again, you are preparing and protecting from paint drips and smears.

You will need time for the paint to dry in between coats and to dry before you take off the tape and put all the furniture back. Don’t forget to schedule in clean up, and don’t leave it for the last hour. Chances are you will be tired and more than ready to just sit down and admire a job well done. So plan enough time to paint and put everything back without exhausting yourself.

Brushes or rollers?, obviously rollers are quicker and allow you to reach a greater span of wall and ceiling, but brushes are a must for corners and for any small spaces that rollers won’t fit, so it is in your best interest to purchase both. Professionals Painters recommend using natural bristled brushes for oil based paint, and synthetic for water-based paint. For textured surfaces it is recommend that you use rough nap rollers and for smooth surfaces like dry wall, use the smooth or foam rollers.

Now is not the time to be fashion conscious! Wear old clothes and shoes that can handle a little (or a lot) paint, and cover your hair with a bandana, hat, or old scarf. Washing paint out of your hair is no picnic, so avoid getting paint in there to begin with. Wear latex gloves to keep paint from getting on your skin and under your nails.

When you are actually ready to paint, start at the top and work your way down. Paint the ceiling first, then the walls, baseboards, door, door trims, and windows. Once you are done painting and putting everything back into place, don’t forget to step back and marvel at the job well done!

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