There's no better way to instantly change the look of your home than with a new paint job. Remodeling takes time and is unsightly, while new landscaping takes time to develop properly. But whether you're touching up the porch or creating a whole new look for the kitchen, it's easy to create an instant impact just by applying a new coat of paint.
The overviews at the bottom of this page will lead you to articles that teach you everything you need to know about preparing your home for painting, choosing the right paints and tools for the job at hand, and using the right technique. to get paint where you want it to go, inside and out. Before a single drop of paint falls on a brush, you'll want to be sure you've got everything ready, and these articles will help you paint your home like a pro.
The interior of your house is more than four walls. However, walls are probably the largest and most common areas you're likely to come across when making quick fixes to your home. You can dramatically change the look of an interior by simply adding paint to one or all of the walls in a room.
Paint an entire wall before pausing so the painted parts don't lose their wet edges. Then step back, scan the wall, and cover any missed spots or smears. Whether you paint in sections from top to bottom or side to side of the room is up to you. But if you're using an extension handle on your roller, you might find it more convenient to start at a high corner and work your way across the room with a series of zigzag patterns completed. This way you won't have to constantly change your roller handle like you would if painting in sections from ceiling to floor. If you are right handed, start in the left corner of the room; if you are left-handed, start in the right corner of the room.
You might think the quality of the paint in a room's walls will have the most impact, but it's also important to be careful when painting other areas of a room, such as ceilings. The following tips will cover painting ceilings, as well as cramped areas in a room.
Ceilings
When rolling paint over a ceiling, maintain a wet edge at all times to avoid creating lines and ridges. If you're using quick-drying paint, you may need to work faster than you expect and without pausing. Speed and ease can be achieved by using an extension handle so that you can paint from the ground instead of a stepladder that has to be moved around the room. Many roller handles are designed to accept a screw-on extension that you can buy at the paint store, but you may want to see if the threaded end of your broom or mop handle will work.
Narrow points
You likely won't have enough room to use the twist technique on and under windows and above doors and doors. Instead, just roll the paint horizontally. For areas narrower than the standard 7 or 9 inch roller, use a 4 inch roller or paintbrush. (The small roller is best because it will give you the same surface finish as the rest of the wall.) Brushes apply paint less evenly and tend to leave streaks.
