Painting Like a Pro

If you’ve ever painted a room, you know that it’s more than just slapping a new colour onto your walls. Today we’re giving you some tips on how to paint any room like a pro in 6 easy steps.

Step 1 – Clear out or cover up

Before you do anything, move any furniture out of the way. We suggest removing everything from the room so nothing gets in your way while painting. If you can’t move the bigger furniture pieces to a separate room, cover them up with plastic or fabric drop cloths. We suggest using a fabric drop cloth for the floor as plastic can be a little slippery underfoot.

Step 2 – Clean

This is an important step and one that many people skip over. Start by giving your walls and ceiling a good dusting. Next, clean any greasy spots using a sponge with warm water and a mild soap. Finish it off by wiping the soapy parts off with a sponge and clean water.

Step 3 – Prep work

To prepare for painting, there are a few things you must do first. Remove all your power point and light switch covers – Leaving these on and painting over them isn’t conducive to a neat finish. Next, tape off and borders that you don’t want painted, such as baseboards, window frames and more.

Step 4 – Prime

If you’re going from a dark wall colour to a lighter one, then priming is a must to cover up the colour that was there before? Going from light to light? You can get away with not priming. Two coats of good quality paint should be enough to cover up what was there before. The same applies when you’re going from light to dark – no primer necessary.

Step 5 – Paint

Here comes the fun part – painting! Start by carefully painting a band of about 5cm around the edges of your baseboards, woodwork and ceiling with a brush. Now you can go ahead and paint the rest of your wall using a roller in overlapping W or M strokes.

Step 6 – Finish it off

Clean your brushes and roller by rinsing them under the tap until the water runs clear. Pour any leftover paint back into the can and seal it off. To save yourself the effort of cleaning the tray, line it with plastic before adding the paint. Once your walls are dry, remove your drop cloth and taped off areas, then move your furniture into place.