Painting Paradise
Prepping to Paint
Interior Colors - Which are right for you?
How to Prime and Paint
You will need to repeat this sequence once for your priming coat, and then as many times as needed to produce the depth and richness you want.
Mix the paint or primer thoroughly. Shake vigorously for 2-3 minutes before opening the can, or use a paint stirrer after opening. Open the can and begin applying it to the walls. Work from the top down (e.g. do the ceiling first, then upper woodwork, then walls, then lower woodwork). This enables you to clean up drips from previous stages. If you have a paint roller, do the bulk of a large area before doing the edges. This way you'll minimize the area you need to do with the slower paint brush.
To apply with a paint roller
Pour paint into the roller tray until it is about half full (less if you have a relatively small area to do). Roll the roller to cover all sides. Use the bottom of the tray to force it to rotate if necessary. Try not to to get paint on the inside of the roller or on the handle.
Move the roller to the surface to be painted without hesitation, to prevent drips.
Spread the paint around carefully. Going too fast will cause the paint to splatter.
Pressing hard while rolling can release paint trapped in the roller, which is useful when you are coming to the end of the job. Avoid letting the roller get too dry; this produces poor coverage.
Don't necessarily worry about getting all the way into corners; this can be done with a brush. But getting as close as you easily can will save time.
To ensure an even coat, after covering a given area with wet paint (say an 8 foot portion), go back over it in a strictly up-and-down motion, with each stroke covering 50% of the area of the previous stroke. This is known as "laying off" the paint.
To apply with a brush
Dip the brush into the paint can, roller tray, or paper cup. Don't dip more than an inch or so; if you go farther than that, you'll just be wasting paint and making it harder to clean your brush later.
Shake your brush off or gently scrape it off against the inside of the rim, to prevent drips. Move the paint brush to the surface to be painted without hesitation, to prevent drips. Start at the top and drag downward.
Clean baseboards and other surfaces immediately if paint splatters or runs onto them. Use a wet sponge or cloth. Paint thinner is needed to clean up oil-based paints. Water will clean up latex paints.