Central Texas Real Estate Blog

Whether you were selling your house, have just purchased an as is fixer-upper, or have decided it's time to get rid of the chartreuse accent wall that your house came with, there are few more affordable updates that are so dramatic as painting the interior walls of your house. A new coat of paint makes a home appear clean and fresh and can greatly increase its value.

The most affordable way to paint the interior of your home is to do the work yourself. This task may seem a bit challenging, especially if you have not ever painted before. There are tools and products available to make the job of painting your home's interior easier. Today we will help you create the list of tools and materials you need to do the job and offer a step-by-step overview of how to paint your walls easily and have it come out looking as though you hired a team of professionals.

Tools needed for this job are:

• Brushes
• Sponge
• Rollers
• Extension pole
• 5- gallon bucket
• Paint tray
• Ladder
• Safety glasses
• Paint grid
• Latex paint respirator
• Floor Duster
• Towels and rags

Once you have gathered and assembled the tools you'll need to do the job, get the materials together and you'll be ready to start work.

The materials you will need:

Preparing to Paint

The first task to be completed before you begin painting is to prepare the surface of your walls. Remove everything from the walls-- nails, picture hangers, HVAC registers and electrical faceplates.

The next step would be to find any cracks holes dents or other imperfections and use spackling compound and a putty knife to repair them. Remove excess spackling with the putty knife and allow it to dry.  You will then use a very fine sandpaper or a sanding sponge to smooth the spackle and make the repairs flush with the surface of the wall.

Wiping down the walls with a sponge or towel will help remove dust and dirt that may interfere with the paint bonding to the wall. Allow the walls to dry and then use a floor duster to wipe the walls clean of dust.

Masking off the edges

The next phase of preparation will be masking the room with painter’s tape. Mask off the ceiling where it meets the edge of the wall if the ceiling is non-textured.  Apply tape in short overlapping strips pressing down firmly along the edge. If the room has a textured ceiling, run a flat head screwdriver along the edge of the ceiling to create an unnoticeable smooth edge.

At this point, you're ready to relocate furniture, place drop cloths on the floor and tape down the edges to keep it secure.

Applying the primer

Now it’s time to cut in the room with primer. It is best to cut in and paint one wall at a time as this creates a seamless finish. Doing one wall at a time allows you to blend the wet paint that was applied with a brush with the wet paint applied with the roller. Some people choose to cut in the entire room before rolling and this is a good option if you need to finish in a hurry. Doing it this way, there may be a slight difference in the sheen of the paint because the two coats were not blended.

Once you've completed cutting in, prime the walls.  Primer is designed to seal the wall, preventing mold and evening out paint tone over repairs. You can usually find paint & primer all- in- one. Begin with a 3 x 3 section, rolling in one section at a time moving from top to bottom, one side of the wall to the other. Fully load the roller with paint and work top to bottom rolling back and forth across the wall in a series of V or W shape strokes until you have completed the section. Reload the paint roller and cover the next section only as much as you can finish while the primer is still wet. Overlap areas of wet primer, this is a painting technique called “working to a wet edge” and it prevents streaking and the need for extra coats of paint.

After the primer is completely dry, you can begin to prepare for painting. Begin by lightly sanding bumps, ridges and other imperfections. Then wipe the wall clean with a damp sponge or towel and allow it to dry.

Painting the walls 

You are now ready to paint the walls. Before beginning, remix your paint with a paint mixing tool or stick and do this each time you leave your paint sitting for an extended period. The best way to avoid color variations from different containers of paint is once you have used a half gallon can, mix a 1/2 gallon in from a different can and blend them together. If you're doing a large job, use a 5 gallon bucket and mix several cans together. this aids in creating a uniform color.

Using paint over the primer begin cutting in the wall.  Brush back and forth until most of the paint has been applied. When there's just a little paint left on the brush paint the area next the tape with overlapping strokes.

When applying paint, follow the same process you used when priming the walls. Roll a small 3x3 area ceiling-to-floor from one side of the wall to the other, carefully blending sections as you go.  Before you reload your roller, roll the area you've just painted in a smooth continuous stroke from top to bottom without picking up the roller, this evens the coat of paint and covers up lines and roller tracks. For the best results and color quality, a second coat may be needed. Allow the first coat to dry completely for at least 2 to 4 hours. Once your paint is dried, remove the painters tape, wash your tools and seal up any remaining paint.

You will be impressed by the difference a new coat of paint gives a room, and you will have saved a good deal of money by painting the walls yourself. Proper preparation and taking time to complete each step ultimately saves time and produces quality work to be proud of!