Step 1 – Select Your Color
A bedroom is a personal retreat within your home and the wall color you choose is the key to setting just the right tone. Room size, wall height, architectural elements and light source are also important considerations when making your color or design choices.
Step 2 – Choose a Paint Finish
Any finish can be appropriate for bedrooms. How you use your room should help determine the best finish to apply:
- Flat, matte finishes are perfect for elegant rooms, like a master suite or guest bedroom. These gentle, soothing finishes conceal flaws and thus are an excellent choice for older walls. You may also want a matte finish if your room is awash in sunlight, to avoid reflection and shine.
- Satin and eggshell finishes are best in high-traffic areas, like a child’s room. Clean-up is easy, typically requiring only a damp cloth.
- Semi-gloss finish is ideal for detailed woodwork
Step 3 – Planning
You may want to spread the project over two days, such as a weekend. Prepare the room(s) on day one and save the actual painting for day two.
Choose the right painting clothes. Wear something you won’t mind getting paint on, like an old pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
Step 4 – Clear the Room
- Move the furniture. Use good lifting techniques here to avoid injury before the project actually gets underway.
- Remove small furnishings from the room and move heavier items to the middle of the room, where they can be protected with drop cloths
- Remove any hardware.
- Take off electrical outlet covers, keeping all screws and fasteners together in a zipped plastic bag for easy replacement..
Step 5 – Protect the Floors and Woodwork
- Floors
Cover the floors completely with drop cloths. Try to lay the drop cloths as close as you can to the baseboards. If you do choose to use plastic, cover it with some sort of paper.
- Woodwork
Tape any door or window frames or moldings that are not going to be painted. Remove the tape while the paint is still wet.
Step 6 – Remove Old Paint and Prep Walls
Remove any flaking paint using a scraper and make sure you wear proper protective gear. Clear away debris from any holes or cracks with a dry paintbrush or a vacuum.
Step 7 – Fill Cracks and Holes
Apply a lightweight patching compound to surface cracks or holes, using a putty knife; cover a little past the edges. Use the putty knife to smooth your surface. Let it all dry thoroughly. If more smoothing is desired, sand with fine grit sandpaper.
It will be necessary to prime over the patching compound. Make sure the compound is fully dry before priming.
Step 8 – Clean and Dry Surfaces
Get rid of dirt and dust. Vacuum and dust as much of the room as possible, especially along baseboards.
Step 9 – Paint the Ceiling
After you have prepared your room, the first thing to tackle is the ceiling. Cut around with a brush or mini roller then roll entire ceiling using a standard 9 inch roller affixed to an extension pole, glide the paint in one direction, moving quickly to maintain your wet edge and avoid excess pressure.
Step 10 – Prime Walls and Woodwork
Primer is essential to achieving professional-looking results. Bare wood, drywall, patching compound and plaster require primer to seal the surface. With proper priming, you will use less topcoat and the final color will lay rich on the top layer.
Step 11 – Paint the Trim
It is best to paint the trim work before the walls are painted. Beginning with your baseboards, use a 2″ angled tip/sash brush and paint around the room in one direction, so that you do not miss any areas. Next, paint the window trim, door trim and any molding. Remove tape before the paint dries.
Step 12 – Paint the Walls
Now that the ceiling and trim are painted, it’s time to paint the walls. Use a brush to cut around the wall and a 9 inch roller for rolling the walls.
Step 13 – Clean & Celebrate