How to paint an interior wall

As with any paint job you need to clean the whole area thoroughly before you start. If you skip this step, you risk painting onto dust and the paint will simply fall off the wall when it dries! So go ahead and scrub the entire area that you want to paint. Your usual household cleaner is fine for this and don’t be afraid to scrape and scrub at problem areas – remember that you’re going to paint the whole lot anyway do it doesn’t matter if you scratch the surface. One thing to watch out for, however, is imperfections in the wall, so if you have any cracks then make sure to fill them first with a suitable filler.
The next task is to prepare the entire room – both the parts that you want to paint and, more importantly, the parts you don’t! This step is by far the most time-consuming (much more than the actual painting) but also the most important. Do not become impatient and rush it or you will make a mess of your home. Start by removing any fittings or furniture. Any fittings that you can’t remove should be covered using masking tape, or a combination of masking tape and a dustsheet or newspaper if they are too big to cover with tape alone. You should also use masking tape around the edges of the area that you want to paint. Next, think about where the paint might drip or splash while you are painting. Of course the floor will need to be completely covered but also think about where paint might splash if you get a bit too vigorous with the brush-strokes. It is easier to cover adjoining walls with newspaper than it is to paint over a stain! Once you have protected the whole area from paint, now you need to think about dust. You will be sanding in between coats so be careful to remove anything that might be damaged by paint dust (e.g. electrical appliances). You might consider covering any doorways with dustsheets to contain the dust.
Once you are satisfied that you have done all the covering and protecting you need to do, then you are ready to paint! When doing any painting inside, always work from top to bottom, i.e. paint the ceiling first, then the walls, then the floor. The reasons for this should be obvious. Do the same with each wall – start at the top and work your way down. This is so you can catch any paint that is dripping down the wall and spread it out evenly to give a nice finish. Try not to use too much paint in one go and you should be able to avoid most of the dripping. Use long strokes as much as possible.
Once you have finished the first coat, leave it to dry for as long as possible. Overnight is best but follow the guidelines on the tin as a minimum. Once it is completely dry then give it a light sanding and continue on with the second coat in exactly the same way.
When you have finished, it is easier to remove the masking tape while the paint is still wet. This eliminates any risk of the edges cracking as you peel off the tape. But only do this if you are sure you can remove the tape without making a mess of the things you didn’t want to paint! The best way is to use short lengths of tape rather than long ones as they are easier to handle. Make sure you have a large garbage bag to put the soiled tape and newspaper in to keep it away from the rest of the house.

This article was written by Peter, a family man, designer, builder and renovater who has been living and working in Brisbane for more than 40 years. He specialises in home renovations brisbane but has a lot of experience in all areas of design and building.