How to prepare a room for painting (2024)

FAQs

How would you prepare a room for painting? ›

You can start anywhere when you paint a room. However, using an orderly process can save time and effort. Painting a room in the correct order will also reduce drips and runs. A good rule of thumb is to always start with the ceiling, next the walls and end by painting baseboards, windows and door trim.

Remove any furniture, use drop cloths or plastic sheeting to protect any floors or woodwork and apply masking tape to skirting boards and cornices to ensure a clean edge. It's also a good idea to add masking tape to light switches and plug sockets too so no paint ends up where it shouldn't be.

If the current wall is smooth, clean and covered with the same type of paint (both are oil-based for example), you can head straight for the paint. You need to fill holes, spackle and sand*, maybe even cut a new piece of drywall in to the existing wall.

Step 1: Prep the space

Firstly, move all furniture and appliances out or to the middle of the room. This is to prevent any obstructions when you're painting. Cover all items with plastic so that they won't be ruined by drops of paint. You should also protect your floor with a drop cloth for durability and stability.

You will want between two and three coats of paint depending on the situation. After the first two coats are applied and dry, take a look to see if the old paint is showing through. You may just need to touch up a few areas, or if lots of paint is showing through, you'll need an entire third coat.

Wipe down the walls and use painter's tape to cover edges or surfaces — moldings, doorways, window sills — that you won't be painting. Don't: Remove all the lighting. After all, you'll need proper lighting to see what you are doing. Also don't tape over windows as you'll need to ventilate the space.

Yes, professional painters clean walls before painting. Cleaning and preparing the wall surface will ensure that your paint job lasts longer and looks better. This involves removing dust, dirt, and old paint chips, applying caulk or putty to cracks in the wall surfaces as well as priming them for optimal results.

Can I use Dawn to wash walls before painting? ›

An effective technique used by many professional painters to wash walls is to use a slightly wet sponge with warm water and a residual cleaning agent, such as dish soap. This method is highly effective for general wall cleaning.

Overall, most rooms don't need a full wall scrub unless they are super dirty or grimy. That's one of the reasons why most professional painters do not do a full wash down of walls before painting.

As noted above, most paint manufacturers recommend that you clean walls with at least mild detergent and water before painting. Although modern paints are so good that they bond well to almost any surface, it will adhere best to surfaces that are perfectly clean and smooth.

Sanding is often a crucial step for ensuring that your surface is ready to be painted. If you don't have a properly sanded surface, paint may not adhere to certain items properly. You can oversand, undersand and often people underestimate its importance. But, you don't have to be a pro to sand a surface.