How do I Paint my Walls? | Decorating Centre Online

How do I paint my walls?

Perhaps your walls are looking old and tired, or maybe they don’t match your new sofa, or perhaps you just are craving a change in your decoration, whatever the reason for wanting to paint your walls, the step-by-step handy guide below will make painting your walls quick and easy, leaving a perfect finish and a wonderful new look!

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You will need:

Materials:

· Colour Match Paint from £13.99 (in the finish you will need)

· Decorating sheets £3.99 (either polythene or cloth)

· Decorating masking tape £2.99

Tools:

· Paint brushes £2.75 (angled and normal)

· Paint Can opener £1.50

· Paint roller £3.99 (in the size you require)

· Paint tray £3.99 (the appropriate size for your roller)

· Retractable knife

· Coveralls £16.75

· Plumb Bob

Depending on the project:

· Sugar Soap £1.99

· Sand paper £1.30

· Filler £1.50

· Filler tool

· Step Ladder

· Roller extensions £13.99 (or other rollers)

· Wallpaper stripper knife £3.99 (if you are painting after wallpapering)

· Straight edge £4.75

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Step 1: Prepare the Wall for Painting

Before you start your painting adventure, it is best to assess the state of your walls first.

Depending on the nature of your walls, certain preparatory measures must take place for you to have the smooth, flat wall which you will require in order to have a smooth paint finish on your walls.

If your wall has been previously wallpapered, you must follow the detailed steps in our Blog Post ‘How to Strip Wallpaper’, or follow the simple steps below:

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1. Score your walls. You must make sure that you score your walls before attempting to use the chemical stripping solution, natural stripping solution, or even the electrical steam stripping tool in order to help whichever method to penetrate the wallpaper.

Scoring the walls can be easily achieved by using and orbital scorer. All that you must do is press the scorer against the wall in order to create an even and consistent score throughout your wallpaper.

However, you must ensure that you don’t press down too hard, in order to damage the plaster underneath. This is because you only must allow the teeth of the orbital scorer to cut into the surface of the paper, rather than damaging any walls.

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2. Using your chemical stripping solution, natural stripping solution, or electrical steam wallpaper stripper, apply your preferred method onto your wallpaper.

3. Strip the wallpaper using either a wallpaper stripper, or a flat edge knife.

4. Dampen the excess wallpaper on your walls and strip off any remaining pieces of wallpaper as best you can in order to achieve the smoothest base you can.

5. Sand any rough edges off your wall.

6. Clean with warm water and sugar soap.

7. If all the adhesive residue has not been completely removed, you can prime your walls with Zinsser’s Gardz in order to seal the wallpaper adhesive.

This primer also works to repair torn paper on damaged drywall, eliminate bubbles, dries fast to a hard, moisture-proof film, binds down chalky surfaces, is water-based, low odour and dries clear too!

If your wall has any imperfections, such as holes, or rough areas, ensure that you fill them with the appropriate filler and sand them down until you have a smooth and almost perfect surface ready for painting.

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Step 2: Open the Paint Can and Stir the Paint

Although this may seem like a very easy step in the process, it can be quite difficult if you don’t know how to do it.

This means that you can use either a paint can opener or a flat-head screwdriver to open your paint tins.

These tools give a string support in which you can press open the paint can, without damaging the packaging.

When your paint cans have been opened, it might be best to stir the paint with either a paint stirrer or a similar long item which you can smooth out the paint with.

This is especially relevant if your paint cans have been stood around for a while, which means that it might be useful to take a paint stirrer and stir the paint until it is free from lumps and has a flowing consistency.

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Step 3: Cut in- Painting the Edges of your walls

This step is not only essential if you are including a feature wall in your room, or creating a feature wall from the paint, but it is also essential if you are painting the entire room too.

This is because painting the edges of a wall, also known as ‘cutting in’ neatens up your paint work and ensure that every part of your room is completely coated in your paint.

The best way to ensure that your walls are cleanly lined by cutting into the walls is to use a paint brush and either decorating masking tape, or a straight edge of some kind.

If you are completely confident with your unwavering hand, you can go ahead and use an angled paint brush to cut into your walls freehand, however if you are less confident about it, you can follow the steps below:

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1. Decide which areas of your room you will need to cut into (and which ones you need to protect from your paint too).

2. Choose either a delicate or a normal decorators masking tape as normal masking tape can pull up the paint, or even damage the wall.

3. Use this decorators masking tape in the areas of the walls in which you need to keep the paint from or cut into. This specialised masking tape will help you maintain neat and perfectly straight lines throughout the cutting in process.

4. Use a good brush to reduce any bristle loss (which can severely alter the look of your walls as well as lessen the smooth look which you are trying to achieve). An angled brush can be used for either techniques above.

5. This cutting in process must be done all at once or there could be a visible band around the walls where the paint has dried at different times.

Pro Tip: Don’t paint too far ahead! Make sure that the cutting in edge is wet so that you will be able to suitably blend the edges with the entire wall.

This is because if you do not do this, you will end up with your walls looking like ‘picture frames’ which is where e you will see a visible distinction between the cut-in edges as the rolled in sections.

Therefore, it is essential that you blend in the edges with the wall in a suitable way.

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Step 4: Roller the Paint on the Walls

Now the fun part begins!

Take whichever paint tray you have decided to purchase and fill the reservoir in the tray up to approximately 1/3 full in order to reduce any spillage or overflowing.

Place the roller in the reservoir and then use the ribbed section to move the paint around the roller, until the paint is completely covering the fluff of the roller and spread the paint evenly.

Make sure that the entire roller is covered (including the edges) in order to accurately spread the paint colour all over the walls.

It is essential that you do not overload the roller with paint, as this can cause the paint to look lumpy and uneven when applied. This can be prevented by suitably spreading the paint over the roller as described in the step above.

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Step 5: Evenly spread the colour over the walls

Ensure that your roller is not overfilled so that it does not drip onto the floor, or drip down the wall.

Next, the best way to paint your walls is by moving the roller over your surface with random strokes, working to blend in the wet edges together will help make your walls look even and neat.

The roller does not have to be pressed down hard for it to work properly, light, even strokes would work very well.

Make sure that the coat of paint is as neat and smooth as it possibly can so that it will be able to dry that way too.

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Step 5: Re-coat the paint

You may not need a second coat, but it is always best to do one, just to be thorough!

As stated above, this step does not always have to be taken, however if it does, follow the drying advice on the tin.

Wait the recommended drying time as stated on the tin or by the manufacturer, and then use the steps 3, 4 and 5 again.

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Step 6: Step back and Enjoy your brand-New Walls!

Now that you’re done, you can step back and enjoy your brand-new walls!

Its time to accessorise and finally set up the rest of your room with co-ordinated pieces of furniture, lamps and any other room accessories which you like!

If you have any more questions or issues with painting your walls, just DM us on either Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for some individual consultation advice.

OR Check out our OTHER Blog Posts for more information as well as handy Tips & Tricks!

OR Check out the video below: