Interior painting tips

Interior wall painting is a quick and inexpensive way to transform a room. These interior wall painting tips will walk you through the process, from preparation to the final coat, and help you get the results you desire.
Although painting interior walls seems pretty straightforward, certain things about it can actually be counter-intuitive. For example, did you know that it is better to roll in a W shape rather than straight up and down? The following tips will help guide you in various aspects of interior paint jobs, from paint mixing to ceiling painting techniques.

Paint Mixing involves three things: stirring, boxing, and straining & thinning

Stirring: Stir from the bottom up; this assures mixing of the thinner, clearer layer at the top with the heavier, pigment-laden material that tends to settle at the bottom. To ensure uniform color among multiple cans of paint, boxing (below) is recommended, but not usually necessary.

Boxing: If you have more than one can of the same color, and the color in one differs by even the slightest degree (and this does happen), the difference will show up on your walls. To avoid this, pour all the paint into a five-gallon mixing bucket, stir it, and then return it to the cans. You can also work from one can and whenever it gets down to about half empty, refill it with paint from one of the other cans and stir thoroughly.

Straining and Thinning: Stored paint separates, and if stored a long time, a dry paint layer forms on top. First, remove the dried paint layer with a stirring stick and throw it away. Then stir stored paint to eliminate the lumps as much as possible and pour through a cloth paint strainer. If the paint needs thinning, add water (if latex) or thinner (if alkyd) as necessary.


Prepare the Room
First, remove any curtains or fixtures that can be readily detached from the wall. Either move furniture to another room, or move it to the center of the room you're painting and cover it with drop cloths. Move any loose rugs or floor coverings out of the room and cover the floor with drop cloths or dust sheets.
Clean the wall with water and detergent to remove any dust and debris that might mar your paint job.
Inspect the interior wall surface for holes or cracks. Use putty or spackling compound to fill smaller holes. Larger flaws may require more drastic measures, such as fiberglass tape. Buff the filled areas down with fine sandpaper until they are flush with the rest of the wall. If you're working with a stucco or textured wall, you may wish to use a texturing agent so the repaired section will match the rest.
Cut In with the Paintbrush: When painting interior walls, you want to start at the top and work your way down. That way, there's less chance of spilling or dripping on an area that you've already painted. You also want to keep a wet edge and always work from that edge to avoid striping or overlap marks. For best results, you should cut in and paint one wall at a time before moving on to the next.
Using a paintbrush, apply a strip of paint along the top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. Start by pressing the edge of the brush against the ceiling and painting down with firm, steady strokes. Once you have a nice, straight edge along the top of the wall, turn your brush and go back over the paint to smooth it out.
You can use this same technique to cut in around doors, windows, electrical outlets, or light switches.


Painting Interior Walls
Opinions vary about this, but we recommend brushing first, rolling later. And it's definitely better to take care of the ceilings before the walls. You'll want to cover the perimeter of the ceiling and the top perimeter of the walls, as well as areas that cannot be covered with the roller. While brushing, observe the following: dip the brushes to cover only about one-third. Don't rub off the excess on the rim of the can; just slap it there lightly. Holding the brush at an angle, apply the paint in long, overlapping strokes, always keeping the pressure light and keeping the entire tip of the brush on the surface, pulling away only at the very end of the stroke to avoid clumping. The handle should rest in the crook of your thumb, and your thumb and fingers should be grasping the metal band around the bristles. If it's too big to hold this way, hold it by the handle like a tennis racket. Use your angular brush on woodwork and window frames, your trim brush on corners and edges.
Strokes of Genius: Fill your paint tray with paint and run the roller over the ridges in the tray to eliminate excess paint; the roller cover should be saturated but not dripping. Then paint strokes with the roller down and up in a "W" pattern. Each W overlaps the next until the surface is entirely covered. Then the paint is smoothed with non-diagonal strokes, all in one direction (top to bottom on walls; whichever you please on ceilings). This smoothing step is especially important to blend glossy finishes, though it can probably be skipped with flat paint.

Ceiling Painting Techniques

• Working your way across the ceiling widthwise rather than lengthwise, begin painting a series of overlapping W's until the ceiling is mostly covered. (If it's a large ceiling, do this in smaller sections, about 6' x 6').
• Go back over the ceiling (or sections) in the opposite direction.
• As a last step to smooth out the paint, give the ceiling (or sections) a series of light, one-directional, overlapping straight strokes from one end to the other.

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