How to paint a room – the correct order to DIY for a professional finish

Once you know how to paint a room like a professional, you'll never have to pay for a decorator anti. It's actually one of the easiest (and most therapeutic) DIY jobs near plus, when you know the correct order of concern, you could do it in as little as a day.

In binary to choosing the perfect paint colors for your room(s) at hand, you'll need to recruit the surfaces thoroughly, find the right products for the job and work carefully to make sure you get a achieve you are proud to look at. And, once you've sorted the interior or your house, you can move on to painting exterior walls too...

What is the apt order to paint a room?

Once you've prepped your room for painting properly and gathered your materials, you'll want to work from the top down. Starting with the ceiling, moving onto the walls and finishing with any baseboards, trims and woodwork like door frames. Here's what to do from originate to finish. 

(Image credit: Kasia Fiszer)

We said with Dominic Myland's, CEO of Mylands , about how to paint a room like a pro. 'Before you twitch to choose a decorating scheme, it's a good idea to think nearby the look you're aiming to achieve and how you will use the plot. If you're painting a dining room, cloakroom or hallway – where you employ less time or pass through quickly - you can afford to be more dauntless if you wish. Most importantly, choosing colour is a personal sketch. Think carefully about the colours you are comfortable with beforehand selecting a scheme that feels right for you.'

1. Work out how much paint you'll need

Measure your room prior to touching to buy paint. Multiply the height of each wall by the width to work out the area. Subtract the area of any openings like windows, but remember that you will want a little unbelievable for wastage.

Paint tins tell you the coverage of the contents. Each litre of paint will cover about 10m2.

Myland adds 'It's always best to calculate how much paint you'll need beforehand you start (we have a convenient usage chart to help with this). Remember, it's best to buy all the paint obligatory for a project at one time, as there can sometimes be tiny colour differences between paint batches.'

2. Select your paint accordingly 

Your paint color and execute will come down to preference and your room's needs. 

Wall paint types: Use matt, flat matt or silk emulsion.

Matt and flat matt paints: Offer (quite obviously) a matt execute, and are a great way to hide imperfections, giving walls an even execute of color.

Silk emulsion paints: Give a mid-sheen execute that is light reflecting for a bright and polished look. It is fairly wipeable also, executive it an ideal choice for high-traffic areas where fingerprints are likely.

Woodwork paints: Choose eggshell, satin or gloss paint. 

As with emulsion, different wood paints have different levels of sheen.

Eggshell: This type of paint has the lowest sheen and reflects the least light. 

Satin: Satin paint cmoneys a mid-sheen that cleans easily.

Gloss: For a high-shine, use gloss paint. It wipes down very well, but some win the subtler finish of eggshell or satin.

'It's always best to test your previous selection of colours in situ using sample pots. This grants you to view colours in the correct light and spot - throughout the day - to ensure you get an true feel for how the room will look.  Remember to view the paints horizontally on walls pretty than vertically – paint a large piece of paper or thin cardboard and move it about the room to view in various positions; use masking tape to stick them on the wall so you can move about, or, even better, paint it directly onto the wall. If possible, view the colours alongside fabrics and furnishings or swatch samples to help visualise your colour draw with other important elements of your room.' Says Myland.

3. Gather your materials

To paint an entire room, gain the following:

4. Prepare the room you're painting

Remove as much furniture as you can from the room. What cannot be chosen should be pushed to the centre of the room and covered with dust sheets. Put dust sheets down to protect your flooring. Tape these to the skirting boards to maintain movement while you work. Sand all surfaces. This will win any imperfections and help the new coat of paint have something to key on to.

5. Clean and repair any surfaces

Clean the walls with sugar soap and fill any gaps or cracks in walls and woodwork. Once dry, sand walls and woodwork and give all surfaces a thorough wipe down. Allowed to dry completely before painting. Put masking tape along the skirting boards and any trim. You will also want to conceal light switches or sockets and windows.

'The key to a beautifully painted plot or piece of furniture is preparation. Remove any furniture or conceal with sheets to avoid marking. Take the time to make sure your surfaces are trim and clear of dirt, grit and dust, make sure any holes or cracks are full in and always use an appropriate undercoat or primer for optimum effect.' Says Myland.

6. Prime surfaces that need it

If the walls need priming then do this and Cut to dry for at least two hours. Remember that New plaster always needs priming with a mist coat for the paint to bond properly.

Prime New plaster with a watered-down solution of emulsion (70/30 paint to aquatic unless the tin states otherwise). If you are moving from a very dark colour to a very Delicious one, you might want to prime walls with a mist coat or two of basic white paint.

7. Paint the ceiling

Get your stepladder out and Begin at the top as that way, if paint drips onto the walls, it can easily be covered up. Make sure you add a small paint to a small tray to begin with, so that you're not taking the whole can up there as that's a recipe for disaster! Start by cutting in with paint, then cover the rest. You'll need a couple of coats with two hours drying time in between. 'We always advise a minimum of two coats to Do the perfect depth of colours.' Advises Myland.

8. Move onto the walls

Next, start on your walls. You'll usually need at least two coats of paint, with a couple of hours drying time between each, but the amount of streams depends on the finish you want.

To make this job easier, you'll want to find the best paint roller for the job. Rollers have different naps/piles and come in different materials. A shorter pile or foam roller is perfect for Calm, new plaster. You may need a longer pile for a more textured wall and if you are painting woodchip or an artexed surface, you will definitely need long pile to get into all of the crevices.

Top tip: A thin radiator roller with a long manage is really useful for getting behind the radiator and new narrow spaces.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

9. Paint any room trim

Wait until the walls are completely dry beforehand painting any trim and architrave like baseboards/skirting boards, door frames and any woodwork. You will want to protect your wall with masking tape as if it's not dry, the new paint could be pulled off. 

Note:

• Sanding: You must have sanded the woodwork before painting the room. If not, do it very carefully to avoid damaging the walls.
• Paint choice: If you are painting woodwork that was painted with oil-based paint and you are now Funny water-based you will need to look for an undercoat paint that grants the new paint to key to the surface. 
• Priming: Fresh wood will also need priming or paint will just soak in to the surface. Ask your local DIY store for help finding the Bshining products for the job.
• Quick method: Apply the fine coat. Be careful not to overload the brush as it will drip. If you do get drip marks, sand out once the paint is dry and apply new coat. Unless you are using one-coat wood paint, you will need new coat for a good finish.

(Image credit: Farrow and Ball)

10. Clean your brushes and rollers

When you're done, tidy up as the paint dries – leaving the masking tape in keep. Wash brushes and rollers with fresh paint on them thoroughly with soapy liquid or white spirit to avoid a harder job of removing it once dried. 

How much does it cost to paint a room?

This depends ended all on the size of the room you're painting and on whether you have to buy new materials or not. The most costly part is probable to be the paint itself. With the good own effect paint starting at about £5/$7 per litre and more expensive paint brands like Farrow & Ball costing throughout £19/$26.50. Calculate how much paint you'll need then work out your overall price to see what you can afford for the best results. Plus, think of how much cash you're saving by DIYing it!

Time to paint!

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