Painting is one of the most economical home improvement projects you can tackle yourself. Almost everyone can do it, even children. But before you start dipping that paint brush, you need to know quite a few insider tips to make it all look right.

Gather Supplies

These are the tools you will need. The list might seem long, but most of these supplies are one-time purchases. Once you have them you are armed to tackle all of your future painting projects.

• Paint roller frame
• Paint roller in 3/8” nap
• Paintbrushes: angled bristles and straight bristles, in 2” to 4” sizes.
• Sturdy paint roller tray, or a five gallon bucket with roller grid
• Plastic wrap
• Safety glasses, gloves and protective clothing
• Ladder
• Tarps or plastic sheeting
• Painter’s tape (blue masking tape)
• Scraper
• Putty knife
• Spackling or joint compound
• Screwdriver or cordless drill
• Hammer or nail puller
• Sand paper
• Sanding sponge
• TSP (trisodium phosphate) or other degreaser
• Primer
• Finish paint in your chosen color
• Extension pole (mop or broom handle) to paint the ceiling and other high spots
• Mineral spirits or turpentine, if you plan to use oil based paint

Choose Your Paint

The type of paint finish you need depends on the function of the room. The clerk at any paint store should be able to help you determine what type you need, but in general, use the following tips as a guide:

Latex (Acrylic) – Easy to work with and much easier on your lungs, latex paint comes in a wide variety of finishes. You should be able to use latex paint for any project, with a few exceptions. Latex has also lately become available in low or no VOC (volatile organic compounds) formulas, and that means you can feel better about not exposing your family and the environment to harmful chemicals.

Oil (Alkyd) – Oil paint has long been preferred by professionals on wood for its durability in high-traffic areas and its ability to hide stains. However, all of its advantages do not outweigh its disadvantages: white oil based paint tends to yellow over time, it is more susceptible to mildew and mold, and it is much more difficult to work with (fumes) and clean up. The good news for the beginner is that every painting problem you meet can probably be satisfied with some type of latex product, or proper preparation.

Flat – Use on rough walls to hide flaws, and anywhere hands or dirt will not be likely to reach: Ceilings, living rooms, bedrooms, guest rooms, halls, and entryways.

Eggshell or Satin – The sheen is only as glossy as an egg shell, as the name implies, but this paint is easier to wash than flat. An eggshell or satin finish is great for living rooms, kids’ rooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. In rooms with high humidity, choose a paint that specifies it resists mold and mildew.

Semi-gloss – A scrubbable and durable paint that stands up to nursery walls and kitchen backsplashes. Also use on molding and any wood trim for a low-gloss finish.

Gloss or High Gloss - These finishes are not usually suitable for walls, but brilliant on wood trim and molding where you like the glossy look. This is the most scrubbable paint out there.

Preparation

Scrape old paint from walls and trim. Use a sanding sponge and detail scraper to remove paint from intricate molding. Vacuum the dust and wipe the trim with a clean cloth to ensure a smooth surface on the trim.

Remove nails and repair holes and other damage to walls with wall patch spackling or joint compound. Smooth with a putty knife and sand after it is completely dry.

Sand walls coated with old glossy paint to give the new paint a rougher surface to grab onto.

Wash walls with trisodium phosphate (TSP), a powerful degreaser. This is an important step especially for kitchen walls, where walls are likely to be coated with a fine layer of grease. All walls should be washed to remove dirt and dust. TSP also acts as a deglosser, making that new coat less likely to crack or blister.

Protect the floors and furniture with tarps. Old bed sheets will protect your floors and furniture from the fine spatter of paint off a roller, but a significant blob or paint spill will leak right through. Plastic sheeting, vinyl shower curtains or heavy canvas tarps are better options.

Move as much furniture from the room as is practically possible. If you can’t remove large pieces, push everything to one side of the room and paint the room by halves.

Remove all hardware, outlet and light switch covers. Cover light switches and receptacles with painter’s tape. Tape and cover flush mount light fixtures, and cover pendants and chandeliers. Remove toilet tanks before painting bathrooms.

Ventilate the room by opening windows and directing a fan out the window.

Wear safety goggles and protective clothing; you don’t want to ingest or wear the paint in any way.

Get Primed

First, prime the walls with primer. Primer acts like a glue to help the new coat of paint bond with the old, and gives the finished wall a smoother surface. You absolutely must use primer on unfinished wood, to cover dark or bright colors, to kill water and smoke stains, and to seal new plaster and Sheetrock walls.

Most brands of primer are cheaper than finish paint, and you can cut down on your overall cost if you ask the paint mixer to tint the can of primer in the color you have chosen for the new paint.

Plan to paint the walls with finish paint within 24 hours after you apply the primer. Most primers are formulated to chemically bond with the finish paint if you apply the two within that time period. Most primers dry so quickly that you can apply the finish paint as soon as one hour after. Lightly sand primed wood before you apply the finish paint.

Finish Paint

After all of that prep work, you will be surprised at how quickly the actual painting can be done.

Always start with the ceiling. Use the extension pole wherever possible – you can use a ladder, but painting from the security of the floor is safer and faster.

Begin by painting the border of the ceiling and around any ceiling light fixtures. Painters call this “cutting in.” Use a straight-edge 4” paintbrush. Next, roll the ceiling paint. Start in a corner and roll three foot sections. Make a W pattern, then roll back over it to fill in the empty spaces.

To properly coat the paint roller, dip the roller in the paint well, then drag paint up to the top of the tray grid. Roll the roller over the tray grid until the paint is evenly distributed and saturated, but not so heavy with paint that it drips when you lift it up.

Working on one wall at a time, follow the same cutting-in first then rolling method. Roll the walls in the W pattern, working from the upper left corner.

It is much better to apply thin layers of paint in multiple coats (2-3) than one heavy coat, even if the can of paint claims one-coat coverage. That first coat of tinted primer will help lessen the amount of paint you will need. Always allow the paint to dry thoroughly between coats. Consult the paint can for drying times. Expect to wait about 4 hours between coats.

After the walls are completed, paint the trim. Professionals sometimes paint a room in this order: ceiling, walls, trim. A beginner might find it easier to follow a ceiling, trim, walls order of painting. Either way, keeping clean edges where the color changes between wall and trim can be tricky. Use painter’s blue masking tape to make the job easier. Let the walls dry completely (at least 24 hours) then tape off all the edges, using your thumb to press the tape firmly where the wall and trim meet.

Removing the tape can also be tricky. If you remove it while paint is still tacky, or at the wrong angle, you can remove part of your paint job and make a big mess. After the paint has dried thoroughly (24 hours), use a sharp utility knife to cut the tape edge free, then pull it off at a 45 degree angle.

Painter’s Tips

• You can use oil paint over latex, but you can’t use latex over oil without proper preparation (sand, wash, prime). The latex coat will not adhere, and will begin to peel away quickly. The exception to this rule is that you can use latex finish (wall) paint over oil based primer.
• Determine if the old paint is latex or oil by rubbing on a small amount of denature alcohol with a soft cloth. If the paint color rubs off or the paint softens, the old paint is latex. Oil paint will not be affected by denatured alcohol.
• If you are painting a house built before 1978, there may be layers of lead paint beneath the top surface. Dust and paint chips, if ingested or inhaled, are a serious health hazard, especially to young children and other high risk people. Buy a lead paint detection kit from your local paint or home improvement store. Whenever you scrape or sand, wear protective clothing, safety goggles, and a mask. Seal off the room where you are working and provide ventilation, then carefully remove all of the dust and paint chips. Arrange care for young children and pregnant women out of the home while you remove lead paint. Contact the Environmental Protection Agency for more information about the safe removal of lead paint (epa.gov/lead), or call the National Lead Information Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD.
• If you buy several gallons of paint for your project, mix all of them in a 5-gallon bucket to ensure color continuity for your whole project.
• Plan to spend at least a day, and preferably a weekend, on a paint project, to allow enough time for preparation and dry times, including the spackling or joint compound.

After the cleanup you can sit back and admire your work. With just a little bit of time and effort, you infused that room with freshness and energy, and you saved quite a bit on your project by doing it yourself.