How To Paint Interior Walls

Learning how to paint interior walls will teach you that preparation and patience is the key to a perfectly painted wall. The wall must be grease and dust free before painting. Nail holes and cracks must be repaired so they won’t show through the paint. Learning the proper painting techniques and tools to use will give your interior walls a professionally painted look.

To pain interior walls, you will need:

• Paint
• Brushes
• Roller
• Extender pole
• Paint tray
• Small paint bucket
• Plastic sheeting or cloth drop cloth
• Painters tape
• Spackle
• Putty knife
• Fine sandpaper
• Small screwdriver
• Sponge and sponge mop
• Bucket
• Liquid Dish detergent
• Painters mask

1. Prepare the wall. Begin by unscrewing all face plates and outlet covers from interior walls. Cover every electrical outlet with painters tape. Use a claw hammer to remove nails or picture hanging hardware. Spackle holes using a putty knife and let dry completely. Gently sand the dry spackle with fine sandpaper. Sand off any obvious paint drips from the last paint job. Use a dry cloth to wipe the sandpaper dust off the wall. Use a sponge and a mixture of liquid dish detergent and hot water wash greasy fingerprints off door and walls. Use a bucket of clear hot water and a sponge mop to wipe down the wall. Let dry.
2. Tape and drop cloth. Cover the entire floor with plastic sheeting or a fabric drop cloth. Use painters tape around the baseboards to secure the drop cloth. Tape around any hardware, windows, doors, or anything you don’t want to get paint on. Take you time and use patience when taping interior walls. A good taping job will save you a lot of clean up and touch up time.
3. Paint the trim. Use an angled brush and a small paint bucket full of paint to begin painting the trim and exterior edges of the interior wall. Paint all wall seams and corners, two to three inches wide. Paint the edge between the ceiling and the wall. Paint the edge between the baseboard and the floor. Paint around all windows and doors. Position yourself so you will have a steady hand and easy access to the area you are painting. Keep a clean, damp, cloth nearby to clean up mistakes and drips. Always work in a well ventilated room and wear a painting mask.
4. Roll the walls. When all the trim and edging work is complete it is time to roll the wall. Fill the paint tray until the paint just touches the grate at the top of the tray. Roll the roller into the paint, with or without the extender pole attached, and several times across the grate to spread the paint evenly over the roller. Use care not to over saturate the roller to the point of dripping when you remove it from the tray. Begin at the top of the wall and make a narrow "W" with the roller to spread the paint. Roll back over the "W" until the paint is even. Do not attempt to paint too large of an area all at once. Use slow rolling strokes and it will cut down on the amount of paint splatter. Repeat until the wall is covered. If a second coat is necessary, allow the paint to dry, and repeat.
5. Clean up. Let the paint dry completely. Check the label on the paint can for drying time. Remove the painters slowly and carefully. Reinstall the face plates and outlet covers. Pick up the drop cloth.

Tips/Warnings: When removing the outlet covers and face plates, place the screws in a zip lock bag to avoid losing them. Using painter’s tape can give you a false sense of security. Paint can easily bleed under tape leaving a jagged edge. It is better to use an angle brush, the correct size for the area, and trust yourself to paint a straight line near ceilings and floors.