Painting an indoor wall
- Cover or tape surfaces you don’t want to paint. Carefully place tarps or drop cloths.
- Stir paint slowly to prevent air bubbles on the surface while painting.
- Pour the quantity of paint you need into another container to prevent contamination. Close the can lightly to protect the paint.
- Apply paint generously, but carefully, not to leave any areas unpainted or excesses in other sections.
- Let surfaces dry completely.
- Sand rough surfaces with a fine grit sandpaper (120-220) and vacuum away residue.
- Generously apply the last coat of paint, being careful not to leave any areas unpainted or excesses in other sections.
- Clean your tools.
- Let surfaces dry completely and wait for paint to harden before cleaning.
When painting a surface, you want to protect adjacent or other surfaces from paint. For a nice clean edge and avoid seepage onto your ceiling or other surfaces, apply painter’s tape around the edge of the ceiling as close to the wall as possible, as well as around door frames, window frames, and electrical outlets.
Steps for application
- With a paintbrush, paint around all trims: outer edge of the wall, around door and window frames, electrical outlets, etc. Start in one corner and paint along the edges, one wall or one surface at a time.
- With a roller, starting at the top of the wall, paint a section of approximately 2 x 4 feet, making an “M” shape. Without lifting the roller off the surface, fill in the “M”.
- Paint another “M” under the previous section. Fill in the “M” again.
- Roll vertically over the 2 sections, blending strokes for a smoother appearance.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you reach the bottom of the wall.
- Begin at the top of the adjacent section, repeating steps 2 to 5 as you make your way around the wall.