HOW TO PAINT A WALL LIKE A PRO!

HOW TO PAINT A WALL LIKE A PRO| Painting a wall is a fairly straight forward process, but following the right steps ensures a professional-looking finish. Here’s a beginner-friendly guide to painting your walls.

There are several steps to take if you want to learn how to paint a wall like a pro and ironically most of them do not involve painting!  There is plenty more examples and ideas on our Facebook Page!  There is also a thorough explanation of what we offer in the “Learn More” section of Interior Painting on our website.

1. Prepare your space

-Cover the floor
Lay down a tarp or dropcloth to protect your floors from paint splatters.

-Tape trim and edges
Use painter’s tape to protect baseboards, window frames, and anything else you don’t want painted

-Remove light switch covers and plug covers
This allows you to paint the entire surface of the wall

-Have adequate lighting
In dim lighting your paint job may look great as you are doing it, but once the sun comes out you will likely notice misses and areas where the paint is to thin.

2. Clean and repair

-Dust walls with a broom, rag, etc

-Wash walls with TSP
(TriSodiumPhosphate) available at any big box store in the paint department.
-Make sure to wash from the BOTTOM UP or you will have streaking from the product running down your walls.
Clean walls ensure better adhesion.

-Fill cracks and gaps
Use spackle, joint compound and/or caulking to fill any cracks or gaps in the wall

3. Apply primer

-Use a paint brush to prime the edges of the walls and around any light switches or plugs.
(Read our blog on how to choose the correct brush(s) for your project.)

-Use a paint roller to roll apply the primer to the rest of the wall(s). App;ly paint in a “W” or “N” shape, rolling back to fill in the gaps and achieve a uniform finish

-Primer conceals the original color and helps the paint to adhere better.
(Read our blog on how to choose the correct primer for your project).

4. Paint the wall

-Coat the wall in the same order that you primed the wall using 2-3 coats.

-Several thin coats are better than 1 thick coat

-Start from the top

-work your way down, maintaining a wet edge to avoid visible brush or roller marks called lap joints

-allow adequete drying time. Follow the paint manufacturers instructions for drying time between coats.

With a little bit of practice and following these steps before you know it you will be teaching others how to paint a wall like a pro!

Remember, patience and attention to detail are key! Happy painting!