After a year of painting interior and exterior surfaces for a professional painting company, I like to think I know a thing or two about how to paint. It may seem simple, but there's so much more to painting that I see novice painters do wrong due to lack of knowledge, so I feel the need to explain how to paint properly.
First, we have to establish what we're painting. For the purposes of this tutorial let's assume we are painting a regular four wall room with one door. The drywall has been primed and is ready to be painted. Lay down a tarp right next to the wall to protect the floor from any splatter. Wear clothes you don't mind getting paint on, because you will get paint on yourself, and carry a rag with you to keep your hands and brush clean.
First, we have to establish what we're painting. For the purposes of this tutorial let's assume we are painting a regular four wall room with one door. The drywall has been primed and is ready to be painted. Lay down a tarp right next to the wall to protect the floor from any splatter. Wear clothes you don't mind getting paint on, because you will get paint on yourself, and carry a rag with you to keep your hands and brush clean.
Open your can of paint and pour it into a cutting can, which is a cleaned out empty paint can. Painters use old paint cans to carry smaller amounts of paint instead of carrying a full can in their hand. If you don't know, 'cutting' is a term painters use to describe the action of painting the outline of the room like corners and the trim of doors.
When you're painting it is vital that you have music. Bring your iPod or mp3 player and relax, try to have fun with it, and play your favorite songs. Now that your head is nodding to some tunes, it’s time to start cutting. It's important to have a still hand because cutting is an art of precision. Beginners may find it difficult to cut a straight line, so if you feel like you're going to get paint where you don't want paint, it's a good idea to tape the trim of what you don't want to be painted with either masking tape or painter’s tape. Hold the brush by its head and not the handle; this will give you more control than it would by holding it by the handle. Soak your brush in paint and slap it on the wall. Push the bristles until they spread next to the edge you're cutting, using the pressure as you cut along the wall to work your way closer to the edge that you’re cutting. When there's less paint in the brush, stroke it back and smooth out the area you just painted until the brush strokes aren't that noticeable.
Once you're done cutting the room, it’s time to roll it. Grab your tray liner and slide it into the tray. Use a paint can opener to open your can of paint and pour it into the tray. Be careful not to spill the paint! There are plastic pouring funnels you can clip onto the lid of the can to make it easier, but either with or without it you should have a brush in hand to capture any drips.
Attach the roller to a pole. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone waste time by rolling a wall holding the cage in hand; it’s much more efficient to use the pole to roll up and down the wall. Now dab the roller into the tray and start rolling the wall. Start from the top, work your way down, and then back up until the roller runs close to out of paint. When it does, back roll over what you just painted, and then back. Make sure what you rolled is smooth and there are no runs or flakes of dried paint. If there are runs in the paint, it's not hard feather them out with a dry roller. If there are any flakes of dried paint, just pick it off with your finger, and feather the area with your dry roller same as you would for a run.
Once your done it's time to clean up your work area. This is what master painters are always aware of while painting. Being neat is essential to saving time by not having to clean a mess up when you're done and just want it to be over already. To wrap up the tarp first grab it by its four corners, forcing all the paint and dirt to the center of it, and keeping the floor clean. Now that your area is clean, it’s time to clean your equipment. Run your brush and sleeve under water. Work with the bristles of the brush and get as much paint out as you can, you can even squish the brush against the sink itself to speed up this process. Take your sleeve off the cage and run it under water as well. A tool that is handy to have is painter’s tool shaped perfectly to clean rollers, found in five or six in one tools.
When you're painting it is vital that you have music. Bring your iPod or mp3 player and relax, try to have fun with it, and play your favorite songs. Now that your head is nodding to some tunes, it’s time to start cutting. It's important to have a still hand because cutting is an art of precision. Beginners may find it difficult to cut a straight line, so if you feel like you're going to get paint where you don't want paint, it's a good idea to tape the trim of what you don't want to be painted with either masking tape or painter’s tape. Hold the brush by its head and not the handle; this will give you more control than it would by holding it by the handle. Soak your brush in paint and slap it on the wall. Push the bristles until they spread next to the edge you're cutting, using the pressure as you cut along the wall to work your way closer to the edge that you’re cutting. When there's less paint in the brush, stroke it back and smooth out the area you just painted until the brush strokes aren't that noticeable.
Once you're done cutting the room, it’s time to roll it. Grab your tray liner and slide it into the tray. Use a paint can opener to open your can of paint and pour it into the tray. Be careful not to spill the paint! There are plastic pouring funnels you can clip onto the lid of the can to make it easier, but either with or without it you should have a brush in hand to capture any drips.
Attach the roller to a pole. I can't tell you how many times I've seen someone waste time by rolling a wall holding the cage in hand; it’s much more efficient to use the pole to roll up and down the wall. Now dab the roller into the tray and start rolling the wall. Start from the top, work your way down, and then back up until the roller runs close to out of paint. When it does, back roll over what you just painted, and then back. Make sure what you rolled is smooth and there are no runs or flakes of dried paint. If there are runs in the paint, it's not hard feather them out with a dry roller. If there are any flakes of dried paint, just pick it off with your finger, and feather the area with your dry roller same as you would for a run.
Once your done it's time to clean up your work area. This is what master painters are always aware of while painting. Being neat is essential to saving time by not having to clean a mess up when you're done and just want it to be over already. To wrap up the tarp first grab it by its four corners, forcing all the paint and dirt to the center of it, and keeping the floor clean. Now that your area is clean, it’s time to clean your equipment. Run your brush and sleeve under water. Work with the bristles of the brush and get as much paint out as you can, you can even squish the brush against the sink itself to speed up this process. Take your sleeve off the cage and run it under water as well. A tool that is handy to have is painter’s tool shaped perfectly to clean rollers, found in five or six in one tools.
After a year of painting professionally, I shake my head when I see people not do it properly. It sticks out to me like white on rice when it’s not done right and I hope that you learned how to paint a wall properly.
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