Room Painting Techniques

Tap to Read ➤ Bidisha Mukherjee

The easiest way to add brilliance to a dull room is to paint it with some attractive colors. Here, we have discussed some techniques that will help you to achieve the desired result.

The vital part of room painting is good preparation work to make the experience a hassle-free one. To start with, move all the furniture in the room away from the walls and cover them up with large plastic sheets so that the dripping paint does not spoil them.

Cover the carpet with plastic sheets and fix up the sheets with some painter's tape so that the plastic sheet does not expose the carpet when you are making movements in the room. Remove all the wall decorations. Remove the bulbs and then cover up the light fixtures with plastic bags. Cover all other hardware like switches, door knobs, etc., in the room.

Clean up the walls and the ceilings with mild soap and water to get rid of the dirt and the debris. If the walls or the ceilings of the room have some cracks or holes, repair them before you apply any paint on them to get a good result.

Application of Primer Coat

Primers are applied on the walls prior to the application of the paint because it has several advantages. You should choose the sealing primer that can conceal the defects of the surface, like stubborn stains, glossy surfaces, etc. It also makes the surface even so painting can be done quite easily.

White primer can be applied after tinting it slightly by mixing a cup of the paint to be used in one gallon of primer. Primer is applied with rollers on the main surface of the walls and the ceilings, and for the corners, a brush should be used.

Application of Paint

You should start with painting areas which are tough to reach, like the corners and the edges of the walls.

For this, you have to use a simple paint brush and dip it up to two inches into the paint and then apply it to the borders of the walls with short, even strokes. Thus, the walls will look like frames.

For the wider areas of the walls and ceilings, use a roller brush. The choice of the roller brush should be right to get the correct finish. If the surface to be painted is rough, you should use a very thick roller brush.

Take some amount of paint on a roller pan and roll the roller brush over it. Then, move this roller on the wall in swift and firm movements, without lifting it. Cover an area of about 2 or 3 square feet before you dip the roller in the paint pan for the next application.

You cannot cover the entire wall at a time. For this reason, you should divide the walls into a number of sections. Apply the paint on any one section of the wall with large upward strokes. Keep the length of the paint strokes even at all times.

Once you have covered the chosen portion of the wall, blend all the stroke lines to give and a uniform look before you move on to the next section. Repeat this process till all the walls are covered with paint. In case of ceilings, add an extension handle of suitable length to the roller.

In this way, you can reach out to all the areas of the ceilings by positioning your ladder at the center of the room. A second coat of paint is a must to cover up all those gaps left on the walls. The application method is the same, just remember to keep the consistency of the paint slightly thinner than the previous coat.

Use your Creative Skills

There are various techniques for painting a room which will give a unique look to the walls. To achieve these, you can use other materials to get a different effects on the walls. You can apply the paint with a sponge which will cover up the defects on the walls in a better way.

Take a piece of natural sponge, dip it into the paint and press the sponge on the base coat of the wall. You can get a marble effect on the wall by applying the paint with a rag. For better results, do not scatter a lot of colors on the walls. You can use your creative ideas to get the pattern of your choice.

Stencils can give some innovative patterns to your walls. Draw some sketches of nice designs with the help of stencils using a pencil on the base coat, and then fill them with colors of your choice using small brushes.

Now you can see that interior painting can be fun if you use the right kind techniques. Finally, you should not forget to protect yourself with suitable protective gear like gloves, goggles, etc., before you begin your job.