Most of us can do an okay job of painting a room. But a seasoned professional does a great job. Obviously, pros have more experience than the average homeowner, but they also know techniques and tricks that make them better painters.
How Long Does It Take To Paint a Room?
Painters spend two to four days on an average-size room. That’s how long it takes to prep, prime and paint correctly. It’s more work, but when you stand back to admire the results, you’ll agree it’s time well spent.
21 Tips from Our Professional Painters
What To Do Before You Start
1. Remove Everything From The Room
To begin, move everything out of the room. Every painter we spoke with had a horror story about the time he didn’t follow Rule No. 1. Bigger pieces of furniture can sometimes be left covered in the center of larger rooms, but if you are repairing drywall, says Chris Span, of Span’s Quality Painting in Mobile, Alabama, “Take everything out. Drywall dust goes everywhere.”
Remove doors, light fixtures and hardware, and label everything with masking tape. Also, invest in drop cloths. “It’s surprising how well a few drops of paint can cover a floor,” Buy high-quality drop cloths, such as canvas or paper-backed plastic. A note that, paint soaks right through lightweight fabrics and bedsheets. Plastic sheeting works, but it’s very slippery and doesn’t absorb drips.
How Prep a Room for Painting
2. Find, Then Fix, Cracks and Dents
Even an old lamp with a bare bulb held close to a wall will make minor cracks, bumps or nail pops jump out. uses painter’s putty or a lightweight spackle for minor cracks and dents; he uses plaster of Paris for dents deeper than 1/8 inch.
Instead of the standard tape-and-spackle method for bridging over recurring stress cracks, use a rubberized spray-on primer called Good-Bye Crack. Damaged wood requires a slightly different approach.
For damaged trim, he uses painter’s putty or a two-part wood filler, such as Minwax’s High Performance Filler. Smooth any repairs, bumps, and nibs with a drywall pole sander. For smoother walls and better adhesion, some of our pros sand all previously painted walls regardless of the shape they’re in.
3. Do the Sanding Two-Step
Sanding not only feathers out chipped paint but also provides “tooth” for the next coat of paint. For glossy trim, use a sanding sponge rather than sandpaper. Sponges mold to the shape of the trim and last longer than paper.
When applying latex over alkyd paint or when he is not sure of the original finish, make sure the surface is completely deglossed to prevent incompatibility problems. “I’ve seen homes where latex was used on oil-painted trim, and the paint started to peel in less than a year,” says Pete.
4. Sponge-Bath Walls
To clean a wall, use two buckets. Load up your rag or sponge from your cleaning-solution bucket, and scrub. Before redipping, rinse the sponge in a second bucket filled with clean water.
5. Caulk All Cracks
Filling gaps with a paintable acrylic-latex caulk cuts down on drafts and makes your trim look better than new. The secret to using caulk is to cut the tip smaller than you think it should be; too much caulk makes a mess. Also, instead of using a nail to break the inner seal, use a small wire so you don’t stretch out the nozzle. Also consider buying a dripless caulk gun, which will automatically back off the pressure after each pull on the trigger to prevent unwanted oozing.
6. Use Tape—Maybe
Pro2Pro Tip: Cutting in is painting just the surface you want, not the surface adjacent to it — for example, where a wall meets the ceiling. or example, where a wall meets the ceiling.
The pros were split on this tip. “Masking tape is problematic,” says Pete, a painter in “Paint can bleed behind the tape, or remove the paint it’s stuck to.” Another problem is bridging. “Latex paints form a skin,” says Hammam. “Removing painted tape can tear the skin, resulting in a ragged rather than a sharp line.” Lastly, taping takes time. “Learning how to cut in with a brush takes practice, but if you can do it, you’ll leave most tapers in the dust,” Hammam says.
On the other hand, “If you can’t cut in, you can’t beat tape,” says Peter. The pros we spoke with all recommend painter’s (blue) tape because it’s easier to remove than masking tape. To prevent bleeding, Span uses a putty knife to bed the tape. After letting the paint dry, he scores the edge of the tape line with a utility knife to avoid tearing the paint.
How to Select Your Primer and Paint
7. Pick a Powerful Primer
Primers aren’t just diluted paint. They’re formulated to establish a solid, even base, seal stains and ensure that the topcoats of paint go on smoothly and bond securely to the surface. Most homeowners use latex primers, but the pros stick to alcohol and alkyd primers because they’ll cover almost anything. Primer can affect the appearance of the topcoat. “It’s okay to spot-prime the ceilings but not the walls, because primed spots will show.
8. Buy Quality Paint
In general, glossier paints are more stain-resistant and scrubbable. But a higher sheen also highlights any imperfections in the wall or in the paint job. “Flat paints are fine for ceilings and formal rooms, but for most of my customers, I recommend an eggshell gloss. It’s good for hallways, kids’ rooms, even kitchens and baths,” says Pete. It seems that latex paints have won over even the most finicky painters. “Though we still use oil-based paints for restoration work, latex paints are fine for interior walls and new trim,” says Hammam, “as long as you don’t go cheap on the paint.”
9. Supercharge Paint
Modern paints dry too quickly, and are difficult to brush out, another problem is bridging. Learning how to cut in with a brush takes practice, but if you can do it, you’ll leave most tapers in the dust.
Although there are mildewcide additives, our pros prefer using bathroom and kitchen paints that have built-in mildew fighters. “These paints will prevent mildew from forming, but they won’t kill mildew that’s already there.
How to Choose the Right Equipment
10. Roller Rules
The perfect roller would hold a roomful of paint, leave the right amount of texture, wouldn’t spray or fuzz, and would be easy to clean. Until somebody invents the ideal one, follow these tips to choose the right roller.
11. Use a Bucket
Pros prefer 5-gallon buckets with a roller grid to roller pans. They hold more paint than pans and, says Doherty, It’s tougher to tip over a bucket. A bucket also lets you box, or mix, two or three cans of paint to avoid colour discrepancies. To use a bucket and grid, dip the roller a quarter of the way into the paint and run it over the ramp to work the paint into the nap.
12. Work with a Painter’s Rod
A painter’s rod, or pole, can help you paint ceilings more quickly — no climbing up and down ladders required. And there’s no need to stand directly underneath the area you are painting, so you won’t catch every wayward splatter. A pole is also great for walls and floors. The pros were split over whether the 4- or 8-foot pole is best for everyday use, but they all agreed that a telescoping rod is the best bet.
13. Buy a Better Brush
A good paintbrush is key to a professional-looking finish. “A quality brush costs £15 to £25, but you’ll discover that pros aren’t as talented as you thought,” says Hammamy. “The equipment has a lot to do with their success.”
Most of our pros prefer natural-bristle brushes for oil-based paints, but they recommend synthetics for all-around use. When choosing a brush, pay attention to the bristles. Synthetic brushes are made of nylon or polyester, or a combination of the two. Poly bristles are stiffer, which makes them good for exterior or textured work, but for fine interior work.
Look also for tapered bristles, which can help you work to an edge, and flagged tips, which help spread the finish smoothly and evenly. Brushes are available in 1- to 4-inch widths. Most painters keep an arsenal on hand to match the job. A smaller brush gives you more control, but no one wants to paint a door with a 1-inch-wide brush. A 2- or 2-1/2-inch sash brush. The angled brush makes it easier to cut to a line and puts more bristles on the work than a square-tipped brush.
Professional Painting Tips
14. Load it Right
Ideally, you want as much paint on the brush as you can control without making drips or blobs. To do this, dip the brush about 1 1/2 inches into the paint, then taps (not wipes) each side of the brush against the side of the can. Tapping knocks off the drips and forces the paint into the bristles. be sure to keep your brush moving, or it’ll start to drip.
For more delicate work, such as when you’re painting trim or window sash, you’ll want less paint on the brush.
15. Cut in Close
A common question that comes up when people try to paint themselves is how do I cut in paint like a pro? “Cutting in is an acquired skill, but it’s something you can’t do at all with a ratty brush. When cutting in on a wall, load the brush and spreads out the excess paint, then works the brush up to the line between wall and ceiling.
A brush stroke that’s too wide creates a hatband, or smooth brushed band, on the very top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. To avoid this cut in with a brush, a good roller can get within 1/2 inch of the ceiling.
16. Work Top Down
After painting the ceiling, work from the top down: Start with the crown molding, then do the walls and then paint the casement molding around the windows and doors. Do baseboard molding last. Painting the baseboards last keeps dust and grit from traveling off the floor, onto the brush and then up onto the freshly painted casements.
17. Double-Check Work
Between coats you’ll want to back-prep, or sand off any bumps, before applying the next coat. Use a light to check the surface for drips, roller flecks, or other imperfections.
18. Focus on Windows
The best time to tackle windows is in the beginning of the day, when you’re fresh it still takes an hour to do a standard window. For double-hungs, begin by raising the inner sash and lowering the outer sash until their positions are almost reversed. Paint the lower half of the outer sash first, then the entire inner sash.
Once the lower sash is dry, return both to their normal position, but leave them slightly open. Finish painting the outer sash.
19. Do Doors Right
Pro2Pro Tip: Tipping off is pulling the brush over the surface to level out the finish.
Most painters have no problem painting doors in place, but they recommend you lay the door on sawhorses and work horizontally. If you have a paneled door, start with the panels and work from the outside edges in toward the centre. Watch the corners — paint loves to puddle. While the paint is still wet, lightly tip off the panel with an almost dry brush.
When painting the stiles (vertical) and rails (horizontal) just follow the grain of the wood. When the grain changes abruptly, for instance, where the rail meets the stile, don’t stop your brush stroke — you’ll only leave a lump of paint. Apply paint across the joint with a full stroke, and then tip off the overlapping section by pulling the brush in the direction of the grain. “Make sure the door is dry before painting the opposite side or recharging it,” says Trevor.
20. Skip Daily Cleaning
Most pros don’t bother cleaning brushes and rollers if they are going to use them the next day on the same job. “Latex paint dries slowly in cold temperatures,” says Hammam. For two-day jobs, he wraps the rollers and brushes in plastic grocery bags and sticks them in the refrigerator. “Just allow the roller to return to room temperature before reusing it,” he says. Roller covers are almost impossible to clean thoroughly. Most pros buy new covers for each job.
21. Expect Touch-Ups
Accidents happen. Keep a cheap sponge brush on hand to blend a patch with the rest of the wall or woodwork. To mimic the look of a roller, simply dab on the paint.