How Do You Paint a Room? A Beginner's Guide to Painting

How do you paint a room? The steps of painting start with preparation. Good preparation is the key to a good look, whether you just need to know how to paint a wall or you need to know the steps for painting a room — walls, ceiling, trim and all. You need the right tools and you need to follow the right steps to get the room ready for beautiful results. Some of the most common paint tools to have on hand include:

• Drop Cloths
• Ladder
• Painter's Tape
• Cleaning Cloths
• Paint Tray & Liner
• Paint Brushes
• Roller Covers & Frame
• Patching & Spackling Compounds
  

After you have the tools, the basic steps of painting start with getting the work area ready:

Protect Surfaces
Protect the room by moving furniture, covering light switches and outlets, putting down drop cloths and using painters tape around doorways and windows. Learn how to select the right tape.

Repair Defects
For small holes and defects in walls you’re painting, use spackling compound and a putty knife to smooth it out. Sand the area and apply primer. For larger holes, use a patch kit.

Clean the Walls
When learning how to paint a room or how to paint a wall, you might notice that dust and debris can get into your new paint and marks on the walls. To prevent this from happening, vacuum moulding and baseboards and wipe down walls.

Prime the Walls
Paint for a house interior, just like paint for the exterior, needs the right primer. Primer covers stains and helps paint for a house interior adhere to the walls. Are you painting over new drywall? If so, we recommend using a water-based primer that's specially formulated to handle porous surfaces. Bare wood, such as new molding, is grainy and has knots, so a primer is necessary to ensure the wood is smooth. If you're painting over existing paint, it's always a good idea to prime for a smooth and even surface. To save time, use a paint and primer in one.
For tips and tricks of selecting the right primer for every surface including steel, shiny surfaces, masonry block and more, read our Primer Buying Guide .For more instructions and how-to details on this crucial step of painting, read and watch How to Prep for Paint.

Of course you need the right paint color. Paint for the interior of a house requires specially formulated interior paint, but the colors for painting in a house are as varied as those for painting the outside of a house. Choosing the right paint color and sheen is a key step when learning how you paint a room. The right color can set the foundation when painting a room. Dark and moody paint for a house interior can create an intimate and cozy ambience. Light and bright interior colors give an open, cheerful and vibrant feel.

Here's a key point to know when you learn about paint and color. Painting in a house with different sheens creates different benefits and considerations.

Flat
A flat sheen on paint for a house interior has a smooth matte finish. It's the hardest to clean, so it's best for low-traffic areas.

Satin
A satin finish works well in most rooms. As part of learning how you paint a room, know that a stain finish brings warmth and depth to a space and is easier to clean than flat.

Semi-Gloss
Semi-gloss finishes have a noticeable shine, something to consider when you need to know how to paint a wall. Semi-gloss will highlight imperfections in the wall. But it's easy to clean so it’s great for painting walls in kids' rooms, kitchens and baths.

Gloss
Knowing how you paint a room properly means you know when to use gloss paint. A gloss finish is best for baseboards, doors and trim. It's a shiny, tough and durable type of paint that can withstand a lot of wear and tear. Gloss finishes also look great when you want to create a dramatic look when painting walls in an entryway, dining room or butler's pantry.

For more tips and tricks on choosing the right sheen and color when you paint a room, take a look at How to Select the Best Paint Sheen and 8 Steps to Picking the Perfect Interior Paint Color.