How To Prepare Your Walls For Painting

Preparing walls for painting is time-consuming, but not difficult. To start, you need to compute the area that will be painted. Measure the length and the height in feet, and multiply one by the other. Do this for each wall in the room, adjusting for windows and doorways, add the numbers and you have the number of square feet to cover. One gallon covers about 400 square feet, and you should buy a bit more than you need so you can do touchups later.

Before you buy the paint, get a color swatch from your paint store and take it home. See how it looks in the interior light in your home. If it looks the way you want, then buy your paint. You will probably need to apply a coat of primer before you paint. Your local paint store is a good source of information about this. Good quality paint and primer are easier to use and last longer.

Remove furniture from the room, or use plastic covers to protect from splashes. You’ll need a couple of ground cloths to protect the floor, canvas being preferable. Use painter’s tape to protect trim. Remove all wall hangings, mirrors, decorations from your walls, and cover over or remove outlet plates. You may need to clean the walls. Kitchen walls near cooking surfaces may need special cleaning. Fill in any nail holes. Scrape away any cracked or flaking paint, and sand down any bumps. You’ll need a scraper and sander or sandpaper block for this.

Assemble your tools before you start. Use safety googles, and be sure to set up good ventilation before you start. You’ll need rollers, two or more roller trays, a roller extender, brushes for corners and trim, and a 5-gallon bucket for mixing paint is useful. Wear old clothes or coveralls, and a bandanna or baseball cap to avoid paint spatters in your hair. Then, you’re ready to start.

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