A New Homeowner’s Guide to Interior Painting
But should you hire professional painters or do it yourself? Hiring a professional to come in and handle the entire project is tempting, but it can be expensive. Typically, the average cost of hiring a professional to paint the interior of a house ranges from $949 to $2,924.
The good news is that painting your walls is an easy do-it-yourself project. Paint, even high-quality paint, is relatively inexpensive, and if you take the time to prep your room, painting is a breeze. But if you’ve never picked up a paint roller before, you probably have some questions, and we’re here to help.
Here’s our new homeowner’s guide to interior painting.
How to Pick Interior Paint
With so many brands, colors and sheens, finding the right paint can feel overwhelming. It’s no wonder that just picking interior paint might be the hardest part of your painting project. Not only do you have to pick a color, but you also have to think about which type of paint is best suited for each room. Let’s take it step by step.
First, pick a paint color. Choosing a paint color is really a matter of personal preference, but there are a few things to consider, including picking a color that works with the physical dimensions of your room. If you’re painting a small room, light colors will make it feel bigger and more open. On the other hand, dark colors can make small rooms feel cramped.
Dark colors have their place, though. In an appropriately sized room, dark colors feel warm and inviting. If you’re having trouble deciding on a color, pick up a few paint samples and put them on the wall. Remember, lighting has a huge impact on paint, so the color will look different at home than it does at the store.
If you’re painting multiple rooms with different colors, it’s important to think about your house’s overall color scheme and the relationship between colors. Once you’ve settled on a color you love, a color wheel can help you find complementary colors that work well together.
Looking at a color wheel, colors located directly across from each other are called complementary colors. Analogous colors are located on either side of the first color. And if you start with your first color and draw an equilateral triangle, the colors at the other two points of the triangle are called triad colors. Don’t feel pressured to use all the complementary, analogous and triad colors — the color wheel just helps you build a palette that you can use for paint but also furniture, decorations, art and more.
Once you’ve decided on a color — or a few colors — it’s time to pick a sheen. Generally, sheens are measured by how reflective they are. Flat or matte sheens are the least reflective, and high-gloss sheens are the most reflective.
Flat sheens look great, but they’re hard to clean and tend to scuff and look dingy in high-traffic areas. Flat paint is ideal for adult bedrooms.
The next step up, eggshell, is a little reflective and can be wiped with a damp cloth. Eggshell paint is versatile and can work in bedrooms, hallways and living areas.
Satin sheens are shinier than eggshell sheens and are even easier to clean; they’re great for rooms with high moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens.
Semi-glass finishes are really shiny and really durable, making them great for high-traffic areas and kid’s rooms.
The shiniest sheen, high-gloss, is used to make paint pop. It’s common to see high-gloss paint on cabinets, trim and doors.
When you’re choosing paint, read the paint can’s label carefully: Interior paint and exterior paint aren’t interchangeable. Exterior paints have chemicals that make them resistant to the weather and direct sunlight and shouldn’t be used indoors.
How to Calculate How Much Paint You Need
Matching paint can be a tricky business, so make sure you buy as much as you need the first time. Luckily, there’s a simple formula that will tell you exactly how much paint you need for one coat.
First, measure the length of all the walls you want to paint. Then, multiply that number by the height of your walls. That gives you the square footage of the area you want to paint.
Length x Height = Square Footage
Generally, a gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet. So take your total square footage and divide it by 400 to calculate how many gallons of paint you need.
Square Footage / 400 = Gallons of Paint Needed for One Coat
Remember, walls typically need at least two coats of paint. If you’re covering a darker color with a lighter one, you could need three or four coats.
Eventually, you’ll need some extra paint for touchups, so it’s a good idea to buy a little more paint than you need to finish the job.
How to Prep a Room for Paint
Doing a good job prepping your room before you paint will make the process a lot easier. If it’s possible, move all your furniture out of the room; if not, move the furniture to the center of the room and cover it with a dust cover or drop cloth.
Next, take everything off the walls, including switch plates. Remove any nails and repair drywall damage with a spackling paste. When the spackle is dry, sand the wall until it’s smooth. Then, take a damp cloth and wipe down the walls, removing any dirt, stains, spiderwebs and anything else that can get into your paint. If you’re having trouble cleaning the wall, try using water and mild soap.
When everything’s clean, it’s time to tape. Taping can be time-consuming, but if you take your time and carefully cover your trim, you can avoid retouching your trim or getting paint on the ceiling.
Have other questions about painting the interior of your house? We’re here to help. Visit your local Hardware Hank for painting tips and tricks and a huge selection of quality interior paint and paint supplies.
But should you hire professional painters or do it yourself? Hiring a professional to come in and handle the entire project is tempting, but it can be expensive. Typically, the average cost of hiring a professional to paint the interior of a house ranges from $949 to $2,924.
The good news is that painting your walls is an easy do-it-yourself project. Paint, even high-quality paint, is relatively inexpensive, and if you take the time to prep your room, painting is a breeze. But if you’ve never picked up a paint roller before, you probably have some questions, and we’re here to help.
Here’s our new homeowner’s guide to interior painting.
How to Pick Interior Paint
With so many brands, colors and sheens, finding the right paint can feel overwhelming. It’s no wonder that just picking interior paint might be the hardest part of your painting project. Not only do you have to pick a color, but you also have to think about which type of paint is best suited for each room. Let’s take it step by step.
First, pick a paint color. Choosing a paint color is really a matter of personal preference, but there are a few things to consider, including picking a color that works with the physical dimensions of your room. If you’re painting a small room, light colors will make it feel bigger and more open. On the other hand, dark colors can make small rooms feel cramped.
Dark colors have their place, though. In an appropriately sized room, dark colors feel warm and inviting. If you’re having trouble deciding on a color, pick up a few paint samples and put them on the wall. Remember, lighting has a huge impact on paint, so the color will look different at home than it does at the store.
If you’re painting multiple rooms with different colors, it’s important to think about your house’s overall color scheme and the relationship between colors. Once you’ve settled on a color you love, a color wheel can help you find complementary colors that work well together.
Looking at a color wheel, colors located directly across from each other are called complementary colors. Analogous colors are located on either side of the first color. And if you start with your first color and draw an equilateral triangle, the colors at the other two points of the triangle are called triad colors. Don’t feel pressured to use all the complementary, analogous and triad colors — the color wheel just helps you build a palette that you can use for paint but also furniture, decorations, art and more.
Once you’ve decided on a color — or a few colors — it’s time to pick a sheen. Generally, sheens are measured by how reflective they are. Flat or matte sheens are the least reflective, and high-gloss sheens are the most reflective.
Flat sheens look great, but they’re hard to clean and tend to scuff and look dingy in high-traffic areas. Flat paint is ideal for adult bedrooms.
The next step up, eggshell, is a little reflective and can be wiped with a damp cloth. Eggshell paint is versatile and can work in bedrooms, hallways and living areas.
Satin sheens are shinier than eggshell sheens and are even easier to clean; they’re great for rooms with high moisture, like bathrooms and kitchens.
Semi-glass finishes are really shiny and really durable, making them great for high-traffic areas and kid’s rooms.
The shiniest sheen, high-gloss, is used to make paint pop. It’s common to see high-gloss paint on cabinets, trim and doors.
When you’re choosing paint, read the paint can’s label carefully: Interior paint and exterior paint aren’t interchangeable. Exterior paints have chemicals that make them resistant to the weather and direct sunlight and shouldn’t be used indoors.
How to Calculate How Much Paint You Need
Matching paint can be a tricky business, so make sure you buy as much as you need the first time. Luckily, there’s a simple formula that will tell you exactly how much paint you need for one coat.
First, measure the length of all the walls you want to paint. Then, multiply that number by the height of your walls. That gives you the square footage of the area you want to paint.
Length x Height = Square Footage
Generally, a gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet. So take your total square footage and divide it by 400 to calculate how many gallons of paint you need.
Square Footage / 400 = Gallons of Paint Needed for One Coat
Remember, walls typically need at least two coats of paint. If you’re covering a darker color with a lighter one, you could need three or four coats.
Eventually, you’ll need some extra paint for touchups, so it’s a good idea to buy a little more paint than you need to finish the job.
How to Prep a Room for Paint
Doing a good job prepping your room before you paint will make the process a lot easier. If it’s possible, move all your furniture out of the room; if not, move the furniture to the center of the room and cover it with a dust cover or drop cloth.
Next, take everything off the walls, including switch plates. Remove any nails and repair drywall damage with a spackling paste. When the spackle is dry, sand the wall until it’s smooth. Then, take a damp cloth and wipe down the walls, removing any dirt, stains, spiderwebs and anything else that can get into your paint. If you’re having trouble cleaning the wall, try using water and mild soap.
When everything’s clean, it’s time to tape. Taping can be time-consuming, but if you take your time and carefully cover your trim, you can avoid retouching your trim or getting paint on the ceiling.
Have other questions about painting the interior of your house? We’re here to help. Visit your local Hardware Hank for painting tips and tricks and a huge selection of quality interior paint and paint supplies.
