Painting a room is a great and cheap way to freshen up the look of any room. Are your walls looking a bit dreary? Do you think you need a little more color in your life? Paint is the answer.
To paint a room, you will need a few things; paint, masking tape, newspaper, paint rollers and brushes, plastic wrap and paint trays. First you need to choose your paint color.
When you go to the paint or hardware store, you will find that there is a wide variety of colors. Here are some things to consider when choosing your paint color. Light colors will make a room seem bigger and dark colors will make it seem smaller. Colors convey moods, so think of what mood you want the room to have. Consider the other objects in the room, furnishings and décor. Choose a complimentary color to those items. And don’t forget your tastes, do you like colors that shout or colors that whisper?
Once you have chosen your colors, buy the paint. For the walls, you are best to go with a flat or eggshell (also known as satin) finish. The trim should be something a little glossier. Next you need to decide on what type of paint, oil latex based. Oil is more durable but tends to be more expensive and takes longer to dry. It is ideal for your trim. Latex is cheaper and easier to clean up, but it isn’t as durable. Choose the quality of your paint as well. Cheaper paint is not necessarily cheaper as it may require more coats to cover properly. Go with a quality paint for the best coverage.
Now that you have the paint, it is time to start painting. Mask off the trim with the masking tape and remove the outlet covers. Cover the floor with newspaper. Take your paintbrush and cut-in or paint around the trim and in the corners.
After you have done that, pour your paint into the paint tray and prepare to use your roller. When painting a room, it is best to start high up on the wall and work your way down. This is to make sure that any paint dribbles get worked flat by the roller. Let the paint dry and look to see if you need to apply another coat. If you can see your brush strokes or the previous color, chances are that you need another coat.
Don’t panic if the color you are rolling on looks different from what you wanted. Paint color changes as it dries. Give the paint a full 24 hours to dry before judging the color.
Once you are done with the walls, remove the masking tape and reverse the masking so that you can paint the trim. Use your brushes when painting trim.
A quick tip. If you need to stop painting or if you are in-between coats, wrap your brushes and rollers in plastic wrap. This will keep them from drying out and you won’t have to mess with cleaning the equipment right then. Also, when you go to store leftover paint, cover the top of the paint with plastic wrap. This will prevent the paint from developing a film.
So that’s it. Now you have a lovely new room at relatively little cost. And the plus side is that painting is such an economical way to give a room a face lift, that if you are so inclined, you can do it as often as you like.