How to paint a room

How to paint a room professionally is all about preparation. Get this right by prepping the room before and during painting will help enormously.

Pre-preparation – Move the furniture and fixings

Move small items of furniture out of the room as much as possible to free up space. 

Larger items may need to stay into the room. This is done best by moving these items into the center.

Remove curtains and curtain rails, blinds and fittings prior to any work being undertaken. If there are shelves screwed to the wall, take these down as well. 

Remove screwed fitting by using an electric screwdriver, this will save time and your sanity

Cover furniture and floors

I use clean plastic sheeting on a roll for furniture. These can be purchased from good

hardware stores such Toolstation or Screwfix in the UK.

For floor coverings you can use plastic backed dust sheets (these prevent paint from seeping through). 

Sometimes for hard floors you can use flooring card (tough brown paper on a 1 metre roll). This is good for staying down permanently and doesn’t move like dust sheets can. You can use standard masking tape to keep the lengths together.

Use masking tape on the floor

Masking tape is great for protecting the floor from the skirting when painting. This can be done for both hard and carpeted floors.

Once the room is prepared for painting, preparation of the surfaces is next.

On walls and ceilings.

Inspect the walls and ceilings. Any cracks and holes need to be filled with a good quality filler. Please note this process may need to be done twice (this is normal) and sanded down when dry.

On the woodwork

Make sure you sand the woodwork down well. Use a two part filler such as Ronseal Wood filler or similar to fill holes or cracks. This is a filler you will have to mix with a hardener. It dries very quickly so only use small amounts at a time.

You can also use decorators caulk along the tops of skirtings and down the side of architraves.

Once the preparation of surfaces is complete, you can begin the painting.

Ceilings

How to paint a room correctly, means you have to know where to start first. 

Start with painting your ceilings with a non flashing paint. 

This is sometimes called contract emulsion. It’s cheap and gives you a dead flat finish (no shine), if that’s the look you’re after.

Use a brush to cut the ceiling line where it meets the wall. Don’t worry about getting paint onto the wall, this is perfectly normal. 

Once you have cut in the wall and around the light fitting, use a roller and sleeve with a scuttle (square bucket) or paint tray fixed to an extension pole.

Always paint away from the main source of light as this will help you see where you have painted.

Once your ceiling is painted, move onto the woodwork.

Woodwork (or trim)

When painting woodwork, please ensure you have removed handles and other fittings

Use a good quality water based paint designed for the woodwork. This can dry very fast, so a good tip is to use a paint conditioner such as Floetrol or Benjamin Moore’s paint extender.

Paint conditioners will slow down the speed of which the paint dries, making it easier to apply and work with.

You may have to apply a minimum of 2 coats with a possibility of a 3rd for a much better finish.

Tape the woodwork.

Allow the final coat of paint on the woodwork to dry overnight.

Use a good quality low tack masking tape such as Tesa pink to stick to the tops of the skirting and edge of the architrave. Go around the whole room taping the woodwork

The taping of the woodwork allows for crisp edges once the wall painting starts

Finally, paint the walls.

Use a good quality emulsion paint for painting the walls. These can come in a flat or shiny finish and be prepared to give at least 2 coats.

How to paint a room correctly? – Paint one wall at a time.

Start with cutting in along the ceiling line and down the corners of the wall with the brush. Once painted, use the roller and sleeve with the scuttle or tray to paint with the roller, then move onto the next wall.

Do this for all the walls until it has been coated at least twice, allowing proper drying time in between. Proper drying time allows for the coat of paint to obtain full opacity (coverage) before the next coat is applied.

Once the room is finally finished, remove the low tack tape from the woodwork and you should have a great finish.

Top tips on how to paint a room.

• Preparation is everything, never skip this step and try to rush the work. It should take a few days to properly paint a room
• Fully prepare the room prior to undertaking the work
• Fully prepare surfaces prior to painting.
• Do not skimp on cheap brushes or rollers, this is a false economy
• Do not skimp on cheap materials or paint. This is another false economy.
• Make sure you complete every stage of the work first before moving on to the next stage.

Take your time and allow plenty of time to complete the work. If you think you can correctly paint a room in a day, you’re doing it wrong.

I can’t paint a room in a day and I’m a professional decorator, doing it every day