How to paint a room

Inspired by a helpful YouTube guide. This walk-through is based on the popular "How to paint a room: Step-by-step guide" from the B&Q channel. It is a clear, sensible run-through of the full process — worth watching before you buy your first tin, because the bits about prep and primer alone will save you a re-do further down the line.

1. Clear the room and protect floors and furniture

Move as much furniture out of the room as you can. What cannot go out, push to the middle and cover it. Paint drops travel further than you expect, and you will not notice until you have been working for an hour.

Lay dust sheets or old bedding on the floor all the way to the skirting boards. Tape them in place if they tend to slide. Polythene sheeting is cheaper but more slippery — fine for furniture, less good underfoot.

2. Fill and sand any holes or cracks

Go around the walls with a good light source — a torch held at a low angle shows up dents and cracks that you would miss in normal daylight. Fill everything with a ready-mixed filler and a small flexible knife, slightly overfilling each hole.

Once dry, sand flush with the wall surface and run your hand across it. Paint will not hide a lump. That said, hairline cracks in old plaster are normal and often not worth chasing; just fill them and move on.

3. Wipe down the walls and allow to dry

Dusty or greasy walls stop paint from sticking properly. Go over them with a damp cloth or a sponge soaked in warm water with a little washing-up liquid, paying particular attention to areas around light switches, door frames, and anywhere hands touch regularly.

Leave the walls to dry completely before you paint. Opening a window speeds it up. Do not skip this step — paint over grease and it will peel within months.

4. Mask edges, sockets, and skirting boards

Apply masking tape along skirting boards, door frames, window reveals, and around light switches and socket plates. Press it down firmly along the edge with a fingernail or a putty knife to stop paint bleeding underneath.

Low-tack painter's tape is worth the extra cost. Standard masking tape can lift existing paint when you remove it, especially on older walls. If in doubt, test a small strip in a hidden spot first.

5. Prime bare patches and any fresh plaster

If the filler patches are visible or the wall has new plaster, apply a diluted first coat — a mist coat of emulsion thinned around ten per cent with water works well on new plaster. Straight emulsion on bare plaster or filler will soak in unevenly and dry patchy.

Let the primer or mist coat dry fully before moving on. This is not a step to rush. To be fair, an extra few hours here saves you applying three topcoats when two would have done it.

6. Cut in around edges, corners, and woodwork

Use a 50mm or 63mm brush to paint a neat band around all the edges — ceiling line, corners, around the masking tape on the skirting and door frames. This is called cutting in, and it is the part that makes the rolled walls look tidy.

Work one wall at a time, cutting in and then rolling while the cut-in is still wet. If the cut-in dries before you roll, you can see the line. Fresh into wet gives a smooth join with no brush marks.

7. Roll the main wall surface

Use a medium-pile roller for most interior walls. Pour paint into a tray, load the roller without overloading it, and apply in overlapping W or M shapes to spread the paint evenly before filling in the gaps. Keep a wet edge — overlap each new section while the previous one is still slightly wet to avoid lines.

Work top to bottom on each wall. Keep the roller moving at a steady speed. Press too hard and you get streaks; too light and the coverage is thin. A bit of practice and it evens out quickly.

8. Apply a second coat once dry

Most emulsions need a second coat, especially when going from a dark colour to a lighter one or painting fresh plaster. Leave the first coat to dry according to the tin — usually an hour or two for water-based paints, longer for oil-based.

Lightly sand the surface with fine-grade sandpaper between coats if you notice any dust nibs or brush marks. Wipe away the dust before re-coating. Remove the masking tape while the final coat is still slightly tacky — it comes away much more cleanly than after it has fully hardened.

When to call a handyman

Call Richard if the room has heavily textured walls that need lining paper, if the ceiling is high and you need platforms, or if you simply want the job done neatly without spending your weekend on it. The Sandwich Handyman can help with painting, filling, and decorating in Sandwich and across East Kent.