From the Pros: How to Paint Interior Walls
A slapdash approach can lower a room's entire look, so open your eyes to this wise advice before you open a single paint can
Houzz Editorial Staff
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Painting an interior wall might seem like an easy design fix, but like most home projects, it's more than a quick job. "Most people think that painting over a wall with a light color only needs one coat," says Philip Storey of Redhill Painting. "But that's rarely the case." Wall preparation, painting techniques, and the type of paint and finish all affect the result.
Here's the scoop from four professionals on what you need to know for your next painting project.
Here's the scoop from four professionals on what you need to know for your next painting project.
Painting a light color on walls. Test the color you're considering on your existing wall. Look at it in natural light, in artificial light and at night. "Light colors, such as pastels and shades of white, require significant natural light for the color's natural undertones to shine through," says Jackie Jordan, director of color marketing at Sherwin-Williams. Testing the color can also help you figure out how many coats you'll need to cover the old color properly.
Next, prep the wall accordingly. Fill nail holes, sand rough spots and spot prime any dark marks so the surface is even and ready to paint. A few of the professionals we talked with also recommended cleaning the wall with a mild soapy solution and rinsing them carefully. You'll also want to make sure the wall is sound — if the paint is peeling or there are any structural problems, you may want to consult a professional.
Now it's time to paint, and technique is important here. "Generally roll top to bottom from one side of the wall to the other end," says painter Alex Davison. "I know you'll want to finish quickly, but rolling across will just leave marks. Finish one section and on to the next — a little like cutting grass." Use at least two coats before moving on.
Next, prep the wall accordingly. Fill nail holes, sand rough spots and spot prime any dark marks so the surface is even and ready to paint. A few of the professionals we talked with also recommended cleaning the wall with a mild soapy solution and rinsing them carefully. You'll also want to make sure the wall is sound — if the paint is peeling or there are any structural problems, you may want to consult a professional.
Now it's time to paint, and technique is important here. "Generally roll top to bottom from one side of the wall to the other end," says painter Alex Davison. "I know you'll want to finish quickly, but rolling across will just leave marks. Finish one section and on to the next — a little like cutting grass." Use at least two coats before moving on.
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Painting a dark color on walls. "Painting dark colors is more difficult and less forgiving than painting light colors," says Storey. Be prepared for three coats of paint — sometimes four — to get the proper dark hue on your walls.
Deciding whether or not to prime is often an issue with dark paint colors. "When doing light to light or dark to dark, you don't usually need primer," says Rick Watson, manager of product information at Sherwin-Williams. Otherwise, you'll want to use a high-hiding primer that's designed for the material you're painting. Jordan recommends using a gray-shaded primer to help reveal a color's depth. "When a primer is tinted to the right shade of gray, light absorption and reflection find a harmonized balance, offering maximum top-coat coverage and great hiding and color vibrancy," she says.
Again, painting technique is important. "Darker colors are fuzzier and are more likely to leave marks where they dry faster," says Davison. Since these colors can bleed, paint carefully and quickly. "Be more methodical than you would with a light color, as roller marks can be more apparent with a darker color," says Storey. He recommends using a roller with a shorter nap (3/8 inch to 1/2 inch) to make sure the paint is applied smoothly. Be careful not to put on too much paint in one coat, which can look uneven when it dries.
Deciding whether or not to prime is often an issue with dark paint colors. "When doing light to light or dark to dark, you don't usually need primer," says Rick Watson, manager of product information at Sherwin-Williams. Otherwise, you'll want to use a high-hiding primer that's designed for the material you're painting. Jordan recommends using a gray-shaded primer to help reveal a color's depth. "When a primer is tinted to the right shade of gray, light absorption and reflection find a harmonized balance, offering maximum top-coat coverage and great hiding and color vibrancy," she says.
Again, painting technique is important. "Darker colors are fuzzier and are more likely to leave marks where they dry faster," says Davison. Since these colors can bleed, paint carefully and quickly. "Be more methodical than you would with a light color, as roller marks can be more apparent with a darker color," says Storey. He recommends using a roller with a shorter nap (3/8 inch to 1/2 inch) to make sure the paint is applied smoothly. Be careful not to put on too much paint in one coat, which can look uneven when it dries.
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| Choosing a finish. "When it comes to finish, beauty is in the eye of the beholder," says Watson. However, you can also choose a finish based on the room's purpose. Flat finishes — including matte and eggshell — are generally best for ceilings and walls where you want to hide any imperfections. "With flat paints, you can get by with a lot more," says Watson. Flat paint's matte finish also does well with routine cleaning, making it a good option for less frequently used spaces, like formal living and dining rooms. "The angular shine of flat finishes helps make walls smooth and washable, simply with a damp sponge," says Jordan. However, glossier finishes — including satin and semigloss — clean even more easily, which is why they're often recommended for higher-use spots, like kitchens, bathrooms, trim and cabinets. "These paint formulations traditionally produce the toughest and most stain-resistant finishes," says Jordan. The glossier the finish, the more imperfections can be seen in the surface and your paint job, so Watson recommends using a high-quality brush with glossy paints. |
| Paint Picks From the Pros Philip Storey For light walls: "C2's LoVo nonreflective flat is an excellent ultraflat finish that has tremendous hiding power and a very smooth finish. Pratt & Lambert's Accolade Velvet is a great eggshell finish that goes on ultrasmooth, is spatterless and covers extremely well. Both are low odor and low VOC." For dark walls: "Fine Paints of Europe's Eurolux Matte is an incredible product for painting dark walls. Their unique pigment system creates high-powered coverage in an exceptionally durable paint." Alex Davison For light walls: "I always buy Regal Select [Benjamin Moore], as this is a very good product, low VOC and at a fair price." For dark walls: "Restoration Hardware has a paint which are their own colors tinted into actual Benjamin Moore paint, so you have the quality and the designer touch. Look at Slate for an example." Jackie Jordan and Rick Watson For dark and light walls: Both recommend Sherwin-Williams' Emerald Interior Paint. "It flows like melted butter," says Watson. "The flow and leveling characteristics of this paint make a beginning painter look like a pro." |
Ideabook updated on Oct. 3, 2012.
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Paint needs to be worked rather than wiped on, and a quick drying paint cannot be sufficiently worked to achieve an even texture. To avoid this I have watered paints down to get the consistency I want - water for water based paints and mineral turpentine for oil based paints and mixed very well. Some brands of paints are definitely much better than others, but there is no such thing as "cheap" paint, it just isn't worth it.
Learn to do light finishing strokes with the roller in several directions to lose any hint of roller stripes, you can and should do this when using a brush too.
In Britain we were always taught to finish the 'laying off' on broad work like walls in a herring bone pattern so that the roller or brush marks are scattering the light in different directions.
If so avoid using masking tape as it so often marks or even pulls away emulsion paints that it has been stuck to, causing more work.
How I was trained in the UK and still do now is to use a good quality 4" brush ( in the US Purdy and others make cutting in brushes for this purpose, or Hamiltons in the UK).
Practice with the brush first to get to know how to load it with paint so that you can draw it along in the jamb between ceiling and wall for a couple of yards, using too little paint will show thin, needing more coats and can show and too much makes it harder to control resulting in pushing paint up on to the ceiling.
Paint down to 4" to 6" from the ceiling so it is easy to overlap the cutting in easily with a roller. I like a 7" lambswool roller for high quality interior work not too big and not too small, when rolling the wall as I said before get used to how to lay off the paint you have applied so it is even in all directions, just be careful up near to the ceiling so as not to mark the ceiling. Even if you are using white on the wall and the ceiling is an older white it is better to cut in as the shades may appear different due to either age or brand.
I hope this makes some sense and helps; as with all crafts and skills there are no quick easy ways, only experience and practice will make you good but the effort is worth making to achieve a good job and the satisfaction it brings.
P.S: Also like Groovygranny I have been doing my own painting for at least 42 years and this is one trick that I've learned that also gives excellent results regardless of the 'finish' (flat/matte/egg shell/satin/gloss).
I've been using it and have been happy with it but want to know if I'm better off spending more on Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams?
For a really professional job, do ensure you paint inside the doors as well and any obvious internal formica trim.