How To Easily Paint Any Room (The Smart Way Explained)

Painting an entire room can seem like a pretty daunting task, but it’s one that you can definitely take on yourself. It doesn’t need to be an expensive project, either.

Before starting painting, you need to calculate how much paint you need with paint calculator. You can also contact to professional to know how much paint you need.

This article will guide you through the entire process, as well as offering product suggestions. 

We’ve broken down each step of the job to make it as easy as possible for you, and have plenty of helpful tips from other DIYers to help you along the way.

As with all DIY tasks, preparation is key. You don’t need to get a professional in, you just need to think logically and break the project down step by step into manageable steps.

Preparing the room may seem like a boring way to begin your new color with new paint task, but it’s the only way to ensure a great semi gloss finished product.

Start prepping the day before you want to paint. This way, everything will be set up for you and there won’t be any last-minute panics about forgetting anything.

It goes without saying, but empty the room! You’ll want to get rid of all furniture if possible, to minimize any potential damage, and give you plenty of space. Take out any light fixtures like light switch that are hanging from the ceiling or on the all the walls.

Cover the floor in old cloths or unused bed sheets. This is to protect it from paint drips, so is really worth doing! Set yourself up a little station – you’ll need a place to have all your clean brushes, paints and tools handy.

Fold-up tables are a good choice here as they’re super easy to store when you’re not using them. Lay everything out and double check that you have all the things you need. It’s much better to realize that you’ve forgotten something now than when you’re halfway through the job.

Remember to remove any nails or frame-fixtures. Finally, covers from remove light switch plates and outlet covers. To remove outlet covers, you can use a drill.

You should also lightly sand down any rough skirting boards and frames, as this will make them much easier to paint later. Start off with 800 grit sandpaper and work your way down - you can use the fine grit sandpaper from your wall-sanding to give a smooth finish.

Once the room is totally empty, it’s time get the painters tape out.

This is the part that takes some time. Add tape all around the door and window frames and any areas you don’t want to paint, eg woodwork. Decide whether or not you’ll be painting door and window frames, and cover them up if not.

Do your best to paint dry conditions, as this will help the best paint settle and adhere to the walls better. It’s also much nicer for you to avoid painting in humid conditions!

If you’re struggling, close all windows and turn on your AC to keep the living rooms fresh and dry. You’ll appreciate the breeze, and your paint will dry quicker. Leave the doors to other living rooms open to ensure air-flow and prevent paint to a build-up of fumes.

Wipe the walls down with a damp cloth or sponge, as this will get rid of any dust or cobwebs. Remember: the cleaner the canvas, the better the job!

Whether you should paint the trim or the walls first depends on your painting technique, but generally people start painting at the top of the room. This will help you get an even finish, as you can sort out any paint drips as you get to them.

Taping the perimeter of the ceiling will avoid brush and roller marks, resulting in a nice clean line between the walls and ceiling.

Start with the ceiling and work your way around the room painting the dark walls.  Save the trim for last, as this will be your chance to properly touch everything up and end on a neat note.

Painting walls tends to be speedier work, too, so there’s no point doing perfect trim work if you splash paint around on the walls! Paint guns can be amazing, but beware of a little bit of overspray if you’re not used to them while painting walls.

You can also choose to prime the walls or use an undercoat before painting the walls. In this case, prime the walls first using the ‘Walls’ steps below. Later, once this layer is dry, start from the ‘Ceiling’ section and work your way through the rest of the article.  

You’ll want to prime the walls one or two days in advance so that the paint has fully dried. Some walls will be in a decent condition and won’t need priming, so this step is optional. Prime, ceiling, walls, trim!

Use a step-ladder or roller-extension, or both. I’d suggest using a ladder as it gives you better visibility and will offer more precision.

After the ceiling has been cleaned, the next step is ‘Cutting in’. This is when you paint around the edges of the surface with a brush to ensure a clean finish.

Use a paint brush to do this, as you’ll need it to look precise and even. I’d suggest going for a brush between 1 and 2 inches wide – this will give you plenty of control and help you keep a straight line against any frames or woodwork.

When cutting in, try to keep a minimal amount of paint on the brush. You’ll reload your brush quite regularly, but get better results for it.

This is more for neatness than anything else, so dip the brush just under halfway into the paint. Get rid of any drips by running it along the rim of the paint tin and getting rid of excess paint.

The key with painting the edges of any ceiling or wall is confidence! Try and paint with purpose, and use long strokes to get the most out of the paint. This will also avoid any smeary or streaky roller marks in the paint. You can go back on your work if it feels like it needs some extra work. You can also do this part again on your second layer of paint, so don’t stress too much if it’s not perfect.

Now that the edges are nice and neat, it’s time to reach for your paint roller. The roller you go for will slightly depend on the paint you’ve chosen. The guide above should help you decide. While I’ve suggested that you can choose between a roller and paint spray gun for the walls, stick to brushes and rollers for the ceiling.

A roller with more nap than you need will often spray paint around as you roll. Long-nap roller covers are designed for covering textured surfaces; for flat walls, use short-nap roller covers.

Use roller covers that are the right material for the paint you're using. Don't try to get by "on the cheap," because cheap roller covers often leave lint behind in your fresh paint. For latex paints, good-quality roller covers with synthetic fabrics (nylon, dacron, or polyester) are economical and effective.

Add the paint to the roller tray or paint tray – fill it around 2/3rds of the way full. Dip half of the roller into the paint and roll it back and forth a few times.

This will ensure it is properly coated with paint. To get rid of any excess paint, roll it back and forth over the slanted area of the roller tray or paint tray.

This will allow any extra paint to drip back into the paint-well and be reused.

Get painting! There are various suggestions on how to paint your ceiling but the general idea is to get it looking even.

Remember that you’ll be applying two coats of paint, so don’t worry too much if it’s not quite right the first time around.

Try to paint each area once only per coat – don’t double-back on yourself until you’re going for the second coat.

Repeat this whole stage again, working around the edges before filling in the main area with a second coat of paint. The end result should be nice and even, so wait until it’s all dry before you properly assess the situation.

If there are areas that need going over again, do your best just to paint these sections. Use the roller, or use a small brush to make sure you’re not layering even more paint on other areas.

This section is pretty similar to painting the ceiling. You’ll want to use a thin paint brush for first coat to cut in, so make sure you take your time with this.

Be careful around any electrical sockets. Try and get this neat, but remember that you can come back to it once the first coat of paint is all dry. Once the first coat dry completely, then apply second coat of paint.

You can either use paint roller here, or a spray gun. As discussed earlier, there are benefits to using both, but I’d suggest a spray gun.

They tend to be much easier to use, and get the job done quickly. As this site points out, spray guns give better coverage and offer a professional look in the end product.

Work your way around the room, one wall at a time. It can be tempting to have fun and aim the gun at various parts of each wall by one wall at a time as you stand in the centre of the room. Don’t do this! Turn down the ‘Rocky’ soundtrack and try and regain some self-control.

Stay the same distance away from the one wall as you move along it. You can use a step-ladder if it helps. Find a pace that works for you – too slow and the paint will drip; too fast and you might miss a spot.

You’ll be doing two or three coats  or multiple coats here, too, so take your time. Try and get an even coverage with each layer of paint, as the overall look will be much better this way.

You can buy specific trim paint brushes, as I’ve suggested above. Once everything is completely dry and you’ve painted as many layers as you want, remove the painter's tape.

This will expose some unpainted areas of the room, such as skirting boards and frames, which is where the trim work comes in.

Remove the tape slowly, so as not to ruin your hard work. Gently heating the tape with a hair-dryer will help to loosen the adhesive and let you peel it off easily.

You shouldn’t need to do this on the ceiling, but can if you have skirting here. Any doorframes or window ledges can be properly and neatly painted around now, so start at the top of the room and work your way down.

It’s personal preference as to what paint you use here – some choose to match the trim paint work with the ceiling, others opt for plain white and some make the trim paint a feature of the room by going for a totally new paint color.

Your brush should be angled paintbrush and narrow to allow you to really get up against each surface. Hopefully you gave the skirting and any frames a good sanding earlier, so they’re smooth and ready to paint. Make sure you drain off any excess paint in the container before doing this – you don’t want any drips or thick smears contrasting with your perfect walls.

This tip really comes in handy, so bear it in mind when painting. Have confidence and paint purposefully – you’ll save on paint wastage and get a better-looking result, too.

Ensure the first layer of paint is fully dry before you begin the second round. It should only take two coats to get a good finished product, but it’s totally up to you.

Having even surfaces will make it much easier to achieve a professional look with two coats, which is why the ‘Preparation’ section is so important. Hopefully you’ve taken my advice and read through the whole process before jumping in!

When you take on the task of painting an entire room (measure size in square footage), using a brush is out of the question, unless you have a month to kill. Using a roller is an effective way to cover large areas like ceilings and walls quickly.

If you have done your prep work correctly, you can even use a small roller for window sills, trim boards, baseboards, and door frames after prep work. While this isn’t the ideal method, it can be done. Using a power roller, you won’t have to stop and refill the roller with fresh paint every two or three minutes.

Make sure you pick the right roller brush for the job. You will want to pick a roller with the right nap for your project. If you want smooth walls, for example, get a short nap. However, textured walls require longer fibers, and medium or long pile nap will work best.

Painting a room with a spray gun is even faster and more economical than using a roller. With a spray gun, you can cover an entire wall in less than 10 minutes. Spray guns are more expensive and require more clean up and maintenance. However, if you are short on time, there is nothing better.

On top of that, you will ensure you get a smooth, even coat every time. Spray guns, like an airless model, can atomize paint and applying paint in huge amounts in short periods of time. You can spray the primer, base coat, light color coat, and last coat using the same gun (choose the right tip and clean thoroughly between each use, though.).

Yep, this is the boring bit but you need to do it. There’s no buying paint lovely brushes and (pricey!) spray guns if you’re not going to look after them.

Some brushes and rollers are cheap and can be used once, but they won’t give you the best possible results.

Hopefully your tools will be of high enough quality to reuse, so keep them clean and make them long-term additions to your tool-kit.

Scrape off any leftover paint on your brushes – partially to save on wastage, but also to make the cleaning process easier. Soak the bristles in water or cleaning solution that is specifically-designed for this purpose.

You can use soapy water if you’re not a fan of the chemical solutions. Rinse the brush in fresh water until it’s free from paint of soap/ chemicals, and wrap in paper towels.  Allow it to air-dry by hanging up or laying somewhere warm.

Follow the same steps for your paint roller, making sure you rinse out any soap or solution from between the squishy foam-rolls. Spray guns will come with their own, personal manuals – it’s so important to keep your paint gun clean.

These tend to be investment-buys, as they can be a bit of the expensive side. Look after yours by getting rid of excess paint, otherwise it could become clogged and stop working.

Give yourself plenty of time to paint a room! You may want to race to the end result, but it’s definitely worth pacing yourself. Allow yourself day or two to get the whole room painted, and try to save it for a weekend if you can.

You won’t be painting the entire time, but you’ll need time to prep, as well as letting various coats and layers dry. Take a day or two to set the room up – it’ll save you time in the long-run and give a much better result.

Paint a room itself should be done in around a day. It’s often the prep that takes the longest amount of time. Using your painters’ tape can take up lots of time, but please don’t skip this step!

If you're using more than one gallon of paint, combine the cans in a large bucket in case there is a slight variation in color instead of same color.

Does your space warrant a two coats of bold paint color, or would a neutral be more appropriate? Once you have a general idea of the direction you want to go in, you can begin sifting through paint chips. When applying paint with the roller, use long strokes in a W pattern for ample coverage (and to avoid those pesky roller marks). Long strokes in W pattern will give you a great satin finish.

Will you be using one color — or do you want to try painting with two colors (an accent wall, perhaps)? Consider painting an accent wall in a bold hue or highlighting moldings in a contrasting shade or semi gloss finish. Keep in mind different lighting in the room will change the color drastically.

Congratulations, you’re finished! Your room should look amazing if you’ve taken care to prep everything fully.

Hopefully, you remember to read through this article a couple of times before starting to paint!