Q: What's the Best Way to Tackle a Paint Job?

Dear Marc;

I want to paint my living room but I have never painted a whole room in my life. I have painted a few things here and there but never an entire room. How can I tackle this project without getting overwhelmed?

Veronica

Dear Veronica;

I am glad you want to undertake painting your living room. The trick to successfully painting a room is to be organized and prepared. I suggest you start by making a list of the items you will need to paint the room such as primer, paint, brushes, rollers (high quality roller inserts recommended), painter’s tape for the trim, covers to protect the floors and old rags. First you will need to remove all the room’s contents. A beginner’s mistake is to work around the furniture which can be a hassle.

Secondly, you want to tape off all the trim of the room such as the line separating the ceiling from the walls and anything that you don’t want to paint such as light switches, outlets, vents, etc. You can also use painter’s tape on the edge of your casings and moldings to protect them from being accidentally painted while applying the new paint to the walls. Then place your floor coverings to protect your floors. Once complete, paint the edge of the wall where the roller won’t be able to reach and where you applied painter’s tape. Next, start applying the paint to the walls with your roller in a vertical linear fashion. The trick is to be consistent in your roller’s motion in order for all the walls to look the same. Once complete and the paint had dried, simply place the furniture back into the room and reinstall the window coverings. Now you can now sit back and enjoy your fresh new painted space!

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