How to Paint a Wall

Learn how to paint your interior walls with this quick and easy DIY guide. If you are new to DIY, painting a room is a great place to start. For beginners and veteran renovators alike, painting a wall can be a fun and fairly inexpensive project when you have the right tools and the right instructions. If you do happen to make a mistake, fear not as it is easily rectified. Save the time and the bother of hiring a professional, give your walls a much needed refresh with these simple steps. Read on for a guide to getting started today.

Shop all you need at The Paint Shed, with trade quality paint and accessories from Dulux Trade, Macpherson Trade, Crown Paint and more, we can help you achieve a professional finish at a cost effective price. 

How to Paint a Wall Like a Professional 

Before you grab your brush or roller, start by making a plan of attack. Imagine how you want the finished project to look. Do you want all four walls to be the same colour? Will you do a feature wall? Do you want to highlight trims and moldings in a contrasting colour? Do you need to paint the ceiling? Luckily we have a how-to for each of these options, browse through our tips and advice page to create a room or wall that’s unique to you.

Once you have an idea of what you want to create, next you should pick your colours. Choosing  can be overwhelming so start with what characteristics you would like. Do you want the room to feel warm or cool? Neutral or bold? Use your furniture or the rest of your home as a guide. A fresh coat of paint can make all the difference to the atmosphere of your home, even a brilliant white can have more of an impact than you think. If you want advice on the psychology of certain paint colours look here. 

The walls of your home colour your world, and the type of paint you use can be just as important as the colour itself. This is why we always recommend using trade quality paint if you want to ensure professional results. The quality of trade paint is far superior for coloured paints, as it is more pigmented and spreads further. This means you need less coats for a higher coverage, saving you time, energy and extra costs. Browse through our range of trade quality paints today to find your perfect colour. The same applies to your tools and accessories always opt for trade quality if you want to achieve a perfect paint job. Browse our range of tools and accessories to get started today.

Before painting ensure the room is properly ventilated and remember to cover your floor and furniture with a drop cloth. This will help protect them from drips and spills. Clean your walls thoroughly and apply painters tape to switches, skirting board and edges alternatively you can attempt ‘cutting in’ which you can learn more about here.

How to Paint a Wall With a Brush?

Now that you are ready to paint the question is what tools are best for your project. For single wall or room project you should use both a paint brush and a roller.

Start by calculating how much paint you will need, a good rule of thumb is 4.5 litres per every 400 square feet, but if you want a more precise calculating use our paint calculator. Enter the dimensions of your wall or room and we’ll work it out for you. Once you have your paint ready, give it a good mix with a wooden paint stick before painting.

Start by applying a primer before cutting in with your paint brush. Cutting in a technique where you paint with a brush the areas that can not be reached with a roller. Smaller paint brushes can be used for edges, trims and moldings for a more precise paint application. Follow these steps for a clean line.

Step 1. For a clean cut load your brush by dipping your brush into the paint until half the length of the bristles are covered.

Step 2. Tap any excess paint on the side of the paint pot, an overloaded brush will lead to paint drips. 

Step 3. Start a few centimeters from the corner or edge of your wall, swipe along the wall in a single swift and steady movement. This will establish the edge of your paint, drag the brush to meet the corners.

Step 4. Try not to paint too far ahead and always maintain a wet edge for your roller to blend into. Otherwise you will have to do a recoat and there may be a clear distinction between where you used a roller and where you used a brush. Paint quickly to ensure an even coverage.

How to Paint a Wall With a Roller 

For the main expanse of the wall, we advise using a roller. Leave the more precise spots to your handy paint brush. Follow these steps for a perfect paint job.

Step 1. Plan a strategy, how many coats will you need? If you're covering darker walls with a lighter shade, we advise a minimum of three coats including a primer. Going from light to dark may require only two coats but always be sure to consult the directions on the paint tin.

Step 2. Pour the required amount of paint onto a paint tray and load your roller by pushing it along the tray in even rotations. To test whether the paint is evenly applied, lift of the tray and if the roller spins evenly, if it is unbalanced apply more paint.

Step 3. Tackle one wall at a time starting from where you cut in with the paint brush. When applying the paint work in a ‘W’ or ‘M’ pattern to cover any brush strokes. 

Step 5. After you have covered an entire section, you then need to ‘lay off’ that area. Laying off is the step which will help you achieve a smooth and even finish. Start by placing your unloaded roller at the top corner of your wall then roll it straight down until you reach the bottom applying little to no pressure. Return to the top and repeat, this time slightly overlapping where you have painted to rub away any sharp lines.

Do this across the entire wall and then leave to dry. Once the wall is fully dried repeat this process for your next coat.

How to Paint Other Surfaces

Painting like a professional takes practice but as they say practice makes perfect. For the perfect paint job use this handy guide and shop all your painting essentials at The Paint Shed today. For more handy tips and tricks look to our advice blog here. Browse through a range of helpful how to’s including; how to paint a ceiling, how to paint floors, how to paint furniture and lots more.