How to Easily Paint A Room

The first step when painting a room is figuring out how long it will take. The time for painting an entire room, versus an accent wall, will vary how long it’ll take to get your painting project done.

Schedule a time to get the project done all at once. The easiest way to figure out how much time it will take is to break everything down on paper:

• Prep work: 2-3 hours
• Painting Walls and Ceiling: 1-2 hours per coat of paint
• Trim work: 30 minutes per coat
• Furniture (optional): 2 hours total
• Clean up: Disposable supplies take 15-30 to clean up. Washing brushes and trays take 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Adjust your time for smaller or larger rooms.

• Gather your supplies: paint, primer, painter's tape, brushes, trays, and drop cloths.
• If you are doing an entire room, move all of your furniture out of the room and place drop cloths on the floor. If your walls are just getting touched up, then move the furniture to the middle of the room.
• Place drop cloths on the floor and any furniture staying in the room.
• Clean your walls and ceiling with some diluted dish soap.
• Cracks and holes will need touched up or filled, and peeling paint will need to be sanded smooth.
• Determine if you need to prime your surface. If you are repainting just a shade lighter or darker, then primer won't be needed. However, if there are repairs and/or you are painting a drastically different color, then you will need to prime.
• Take off outlet and plate covers so you don't worry about messes.
• Final tip - tape off all edges, if needed.

With your chosen color, take a brush and paint along the edges before using your roller. You will need 2 coats of paint to complete the job. The trim can be started after the walls and ceiling are done. If needed, you can make touch-ups between coats.