How to Paint a Room: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

With a little know-how, the right tools, and relatively little expense, you can transform any room in your home! To learn more, check out our step-by-step guide about how to paint a room from start to finish.

Step 1: Plan Your Painting Project

• Schedule your project for a day with good painting weather (i.e., dry and mild). You can open windows to ventilate the room and speed up the drying process.
• Measure the room and take note of the dimensions so that you have them on hand when you visit the paint store. This will ensure that you have just the right amount of interior emulsion from the get-go.

 

Tip: When selecting your paint, remember that premium quality paint is an investment that offers superior durability and coverage – ultimately saving you time and money.

Step 2: Protect Surfaces that You Don’t Wish to Paint

Protect any and all surfaces that you don’t want to paint, as this will make clean-up infinitely easier and faster:

• Move furniture away from the walls or out of the room altogether.
• Lay dust sheets down on the floor. You may want to use tape to fix them in place.
• Now mask off any areas you don’t want to paint, e.g., around fittings, doors, window frames, skirting board etc.

Step 3: Clean

Cleaning is essential to ensure a flawless, blemish-free finish:

• Start by dusting and then wiping down your walls with a clean, dry microfibre cloth
• Spot-clean where necessary with sugar soap solution to remove any dirt and grime
• Allow your walls to dry fully before moving on to the next step

Step 4: Sand

Sanding the walls helps to roughen up the surface and creates a “key” to which the paint can more easily adhere.

• Scrape away any loose paint.
• Sand the walls lightly in a circular motion with fine-grade sandpaper.
• Once done, clean up any sanding dust 

Step 5: Repair Minor Imperfections

At this point, you can repair any imperfections that may prevent an even paint application:

• Apply a suitable ready-mixed filler to fix any blemishes (e.g., holes, cracks, scratches, dents).
• Smooth the filler out with a filler knife, allow it to dry, sand it back, and wipe away any dust.

Step 6: Apply Your Primer (New Walls Only)

Step 7: Paint

Before opening the tin, shake it well. On opening the tin, give it a good mix with your Pat McDonnell Paints stirring stick. When you think you’ve stirred it enough, give it another stir!

When painting, always work downwards to help prevent you from accidentally dripping, splattering on any newly finished paintwork. Start with the ceiling then tackle your walls.

Cutting in is an important first step that is often missed. Use a 2" brush to paint any tight spots that your roller can’t reach like corners. This will leave you with a border that frames the wall. When loading your brush with paint, dip the first inch of the brush and gently tap against the rim of the paint tin to remove excess paint. Check for drips, as you go as these are easier to remove when still wet.

Tip: To ensure there is no overlap when the cutting-in areas dry (aka “picture framing”), paint one wall at a time and roll before your cutting-in has had the chance to dry.

Use a roller to paint in the remaining areas. For a smooth application, dampen the roller before you start and don’t overload it. Roll the paint on in a ‘W’ pattern at a moderate pace using light pressure. To fix drips or pressure lines as you go, lightly roll over the area while the paint is still wet.

Tip: If you want to take a break, cover the paint by wrapping the roller in cling film to keep it fresh. This should keep overnight.

Step 8: Clean-up

• Remove masking tape. To prevent peeling, do this before the paint is fully dry.
• Seal and store any unused paint so you can use it again for touch-ups.
• Wash your tools with warm, soapy water. If cared for properly, good-quality tools can be used again and again.