You can transform your space with a $40 gallon of paint and these easy steps!
Some people think I'm crazy for loving to paint a room, but I love the transformation that comes out of the bottom of a paint can. Sure, you can paint furniture or a small craft project, but painting a room with a $40 can of paint makes a huge impact.
I recently painted my office and guest bedroom. It was the last builder-beige room in the house. After 4 years of working in a room with flat beige paint, it was high time I painted it a color I loved.
So I did something I've never done before.
Yep, my very first white room (and it won't be my last). I LOVE it. I chose white for several reasons, one of which is that when I need to photograph small projects for the blog, I'll have a white backdrop built right in.
RELATED: How to Create a Whole House Color Palette
I also painted my kitchen recently, which has led to several conversations about painting rooms yourself vs. hiring it out. I've done both, but I've mostly painted rooms myself. I prefer doing the painting, because some professionals I've hired just aren't as precise or careful as I am.
Before you start painting, you need to choose your paint color. This can feel daunting, so I highly suggest you take my advice in this post about How to Choose the Right Paint Color without Regrets.
Every time I follow my own advice, I love the color. When I'm impatient and skip the proper steps, I always, always, always regret it and end up disliking the color until I repaint.
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PRO Tip
Whenever you choose a new paint color, you need to try out the real paint color in your home first!
The easiest and quickest way to do that is with Samplize! I use them exclusively for paint samples now. There's no mess and no leftover sample pots. Plus, these no-mess, peel-and-stick rectangles are made from real paint, so they're easy to move around the room and easy to save for future reference!
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Tools you Need for Painting a Room
- Paint – just making sure you're paying attention.
- Roller Covers
- Extendable roller frame – These are fabulous even for painting an 8-foot room, because they extend to reach the top of the wall without reaching up with your arm or standing on your tiptoes.
- Purdy Paint brush – Some people go all out with trimming gadgets, but I LOVE these angled brushes for "cutting in" a room (painting the wall where it meets the trim).
- HANDy paint pail – I LOVE this paint pail because it fits easily on my hand and has a magnetic brush holder inside that holds your paintbrush for you. You won't believe how often you'll use that brush holder! (Don't forget the liners for easy cleanup.)
- HANDy roller tray – I used the same old rusty paint tray for years, because a paint tray is a paint tray, right? This product beats the old standard tray by a mile. The wide, sturdy base eased my fear of knocking it over, and it's deep enough for lots of paint, so you make fewer trips back to the can to refill. It uses liners too. For easy cleanup, just toss them, or wash and reuse them if you want to save a little money.
- Press'n Seal food wrap or regular plastic food wrap, for wrapping your tools when they're not in use
- Frog Tape – it seals the edge better than any other painter's tape I've used.
- Spackling – This one is my favorite, because it's patch and primer in one.
Steps for Painting a Room
Step 1 – Prep
You can't just pick a color and start slapping paint on the walls. You need to prep the room and the walls first. Wipe down the walls and baseboards. I just use a damp rag for the baseboards and a dusting mitt or Swiffer cloth for the walls. Scrub off anything sticky on the walls, too.
Then gather your supplies, of course.
Step 2 – Patch Any Holes
I also patch any nail holes left in walls I'm not going to reuse. If I'm just going to rehang a piece of art, I don't bother patching it, but otherwise it gets patched with spackling. I love this stuff. I apply it to the walls with a small putty knife, but sometimes just my finger will do in a pinch.
Tip: If I'm painting over flat paint, I don't sand the walls. But if I'm painting over any other type of finish, I lightly sand the walls with medium-grit sandpaper. After sanding, I wipe down the walls and baseboards with a damp cloth.
Step 3 – Tape the Baseboards
I just use my Frog Tape on the baseboards around the room. It helps protect the baseboards and flooring in case any paint runs down the walls or the roller splatters.
Find out in the next step why I don't tape the window frames, door frames or ceiling.
Step 4 – Trim or Cut In the Room
I don't tape the door or window frames or the ceiling, because I use an angled brush and cut in along the edges of the walls.
It takes a little patience and a steady hand, but I find this method works better for me than taping and painting sloppily along the wall. It also saves a lot of time, and you don't need any fancy tools or equipment.
I found a fabulous tutorial for cutting in a room at PB&J Stories. It's exactly how I do it. Start with a downstroke in the corner, then keep the brush horizontal and drag it along the ceiling edge.
Paint Like a Pro Tip: If you need to take a break in the middle of a project (say your kid needs lunch or something), cover your HANDy paint pail with Press'n Seal food wrap, wrap your wet paintbrush in regular plastic food wrap, and set them aside until you get back.
If you'll be gone for several hours, stick your paintbrush in the fridge. If you'll be gone for a day, stick it in the freezer.
Step 5 – Roll the Wall
Roll the wall at different angles, rolling to the right and then to the left, to make sure you get nice, even coverage. When you dip your roller in the paint, use the textured part of the tray to roll off the excess.
You want the roller loaded with paint but not dripping. As you go, check that the coverage is even and you aren't leaving drip marks behind. Roll lightly over any drip marks to smooth them out.
Repeat steps 4 and 5, as needed
Some walls may need only one coat, but I usually need 2 coats for good coverage, and sometimes 3. It depends on the quality of the paint, the color you're painting and the color you're painting over.
Darker colors like browns, reds and blacks need more coats to get even coverage, especially if you're painting a lighter color over them. If you're painting a much lighter color over a really dark one, I'd suggest priming first with a tinted primer.
In my experience, though, if I buy the nicer quality paint-plus-primer, I can cover most rooms in most colors in 2 coats.
Bonus: You all get a sneak peek at my new office corner!
Yay! You're done! Now you have a beautiful room to sit back and admire.
If I can work straight through, I can finish a regular-sized room in a day. That means a 12×12 with 1-2 doors and 1 window. If there are a lot of doors or windows, or the room is larger, it'll take me 2 days.
If my kids need me to keep them alive and fed, change their clothes and keep their bottoms clean, it has taken me as long as a week before. So it just depends on what you've got going on.
Do you paint your own rooms or hire it out??
Which room is first on your list to paint?
For an even more custom look, try painting your outlet covers, too!
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