How to Paint a Room
Start with sound interior walls you can reach safely. Choose the finish, repair small defects, and measure the area before shopping. Plan every room below: calculate walls, ceilings and trim, choose paint and colors, and price supplies without leaving this page. Review editable coverage assumptions against your chosen product label.
Loading your painting workspace…
WATCH THE PART YOU NEED
Short painting techniques
One realistic cutting-in example and clear illustrations for the other steps. Play clips when useful; none starts automatically. These short demonstrations supplement product instructions.
Cut in beside trimAI-generated realistic illustration · 5 seconds
One controlled downward brush pass beside taped door trim. This shows contact and a wet edge, not a complete room, brush loading or every corner.
Roll into a wet edgeIllustrated technique · 25 seconds
Selected rolling V2: distribute paint, overlap passes and continue while the edge stays wet. Motion is compressed; follow the coating label for coats and drying.
Brush a trim sectionIllustrated technique · 22 seconds
Controlled lengthwise strokes on protected baseboard trim. Reload and lift between passes; do not overwork paint that has started drying.
Roll a ceiling sectionIllustrated technique · 22 seconds
Looking up at a manageable, freshly cut-in section: overlap straight passes using suitable reach and eye protection. Drying is not simulated.
Back-roll freshly sprayed paintIllustrated technique · 23 seconds
Where the coating and substrate call for it, roll the same wet sprayed coat. This is not a second coat or a substitute for sprayer training.
For spraying, read the coating and equipment safety guidance.
1Clean and prep the walls
Wash the walls (degloss any shiny surfaces), fill holes and cracks, then sand smooth and wipe off the dust. This prep is what separates a smooth finish from a patchy one.
2Tape, mask, and drop cloths
Run painter’s tape along trim and baseboards, lay down drop cloths, and remove or cover outlet plates and fixtures.
3Prime where needed
Prime bare drywall, stains, fresh patches, and big color changes — tint the primer toward your final color when going dark. Sound walls in a similar color can usually skip primer.
4Cut in the edges
With a 2½” angled brush, paint a 1½–2” band around the ceiling line, corners, and trim, working a section at a time so the cut-in stays wet when you roll into it.
5Roll two coats, keep a wet edge
Roll in a W pattern and fill it in, overlapping each pass and blending into the still-wet edge to avoid lap marks. Plan on two coats (one gallon covers about 350–400 sq ft per coat, depending on the product). Follow the label for recoat time and the tape instructions for removal. Set coverage, coats and allowance in your project above.