If you are thinking about painting inside your house, you can make it a DIY (do-it-yourself) project with a few simple tips. Whether you are changing the color of the walls from a darker shade to a neutral shade to help it sell quicker, or you are just tired of its current color, these tips will help you get the finished look of a professional house painter.
Painting Inside Your House
1. Get low-VOC or no-VOC paint
Unless you have time for your house to air out for a long while after painting inside your house, you will want to opt for a paint that does not have a lot of volatile organic chemicals in it (VOCs), especially if you of someone in your family has asthma or a sensitivity to chemicals. Another place you will definitely want to use no-VOC paint is in the nursery, as babies do not have the detoxification systems needed to detoxify VOCs.
Benjamin Moore’s Natura® line of paint has zero VOCs. Many of the other paint manufacturers have now created a line of low-VOC or no-VOC paint.
2. Prepping the walls
Many people want to skip over this step because it takes a while to complete. But the painting inside your house will be so much easier, neater, and faster when you prep first.
- Scrape or sand any areas with imperfections. Spackle as needed to even out the wall.
- Dust and clean the walls, preferably with a vacuum cleaner. Wash bathroom or kitchen walls so paint will adhere better.
- Apply painter’s tape to wood trim so that you do not get paint on it. Cover hardware such as door knobs. Many people think they have a steady enough hand to avoid getting paint on wood trim, but find out later that they do not.
- If painting over a dark color, apply primer before applying the paint.
3. Move furniture and cover things
The best place for furniture is out of the room entirely, but if it cannot be relocated, move it into the center of the room and cover it with an inexpensive plastic painter’s drop cloth that you tape closed while you are painting inside your house.
- Take draperies, shades, and blinds down.
- Remove mirrors and area rugs
- Remove switch and receptacle cover plates. (Use a piece of tape to tape screws to the back of them.)
4. Get all of your materials together
When you have all your materials together in one place, painting is so much easier and faster. Be sure to get these materials ready: paint cans including primer if you are using it, an opener for the paint can, stirring sticks for the paint, paint tray, rollers, paintbrushes, gloves, safety glasses, drop cloths for the floor, and a roller extension pole.
5. Painting tips
- Cut the paint into the corners of the wall near the ceiling with an angled brush.
- Use a small brush to paint around trim and in the corners where your large brush cannot go.
- Paint walls with a roller in a 3 foot by 3 foot W, filling in the blanks around the W without lifting the roller. This helps keep a smooth appearance.
With a little effort, your home will look beautiful for years before you need to do this again. If you are painting inside your house to sell your home, neutral colors are the best bet as they allow prospective buyers to envision their own colors in your house.
