Time to Change the Color in Your Room? Learn How to Paint It
Maybe you just moved into a new house, and you’re ready to make the different rooms your own. Or, perhaps your living areas have been the same shade for years, and you want to change things up. Whatever the reason, few home improvement projects have the impact of painting, as choosing the right hues set the tone and can have a profound impact on a space’s feel. With a wide range of painting products to help you get started, Tractor Supply guides you in revitalizing your rooms.
What’s Your Plan for Painting?
This is the fun part – choosing the best colors for your room. You might have a vision for your space, and there’s no right or wrong when it comes to personal style. However, if you think an area of your home could use a fresh coat but aren’t sure which hues will work, these schemes can inspire you when shopping for interior paint:
- Active colors: Light tones such as red, orange and yellow evoke a warm, energizing feel for an inviting atmosphere.
- Passive colors: Blues, greens and purples – these hues are calming and can make a small room appear more spacious.
- Neutral tones: Achieve effortlessness and elegance with whites, blacks, grays and beiges that unify a space.
- Monochromatic schemes: Sticking to different shades within the same color family can create a harmonious vibe in the room.
- Complementary patterns: This approach uses tints on opposite sides of the color wheel, and it works best if one hue appears more abundantly and the other as an accent.
- Triad color combinations: Take three tones from different areas on the wheel for a room that features warm and cool shades.
Get the Room Ready for a Makeover
It’s tempting, but you don’t want to just pick up that brush and start painting. Prep work is necessary for a job well done, and it involves more than clearing furniture out of the room. Key preliminary steps for household painting include:
- Change your clothes: Wear something you wouldn’t mind potentially getting paint all over – it’s probably going to happen! Consider a hat to cover your hair, as well.
- Clear the space: Besides removing furniture and carpets, you also need to remove outlet covers and light fixtures, plus curtains and blinds.
- Protect the floors with sheets: Old bed sheets or towels may work, but we have options intended for painting, including drop cloths made of absorbent materials, cost-effective plastic sheeting and durable tarps.
- Clean walls and ceilings: A duster can gather any dust or cobwebs that often accumulate in the corners, but you might need a wet sponge or cloth to scrub stubborn stains. Let any wet surfaces dry before moving on.
- Repair imperfections: Examine surfaces for cracks and holes, using the drywall repair we carry to fill them in. You can remove any excess with a putty knife from our selection.
- Sand down texture for a smooth surface: Once the material dries, use sandpaper to polish rough areas until filled-in holes are flush with the rest of the surface. Some walls and ceilings require specific types of sandpaper, and you’ll find a wide range of choices in our inventory.
Painter’s tape is a must if you want the finished project to look clean and sleek. It goes over edges along walls and ceilings to prevent painting trim, plus around electrical fixtures to avoid seepage into components. Overlapping tape helps keep paint from bleeding, and you may use a putty knife or similar tool to ensure it rests flush against the surface.
Do I Need to Prime the Walls?
Primer is essential for wall painting because it helps seal the surface and protect against mold formation. It’s especially important if you’re painting over light walls with a dark color, or vice versa. For cost-effective DIY, you might opt for tinted alternatives as they come in specific hues or options that combine primer and paint.
You begin with “cutting in,” or applying about three inches of primer along the wall’s edges, around windows and in corners. Then you’ll paint across the entire wall, choosing the right roller based on its texture. For instance, low nap rollers are best for smooth surfaces and those with 1/2 or 3/4-inch naps for textured surfaces.
Instead of cutting in and then putting primer across the rest of the walls, consider working in one area at a time. This way, you don’t risk the borders drying before you can finish priming, which helps ensure a uniform look. If there are any bumps left you can smoothen them with sandpaper, wipe the walls using a wet cloth and let it air dry.
Best Practices for Wall Painting
You’re ready to paint the walls, but before dipping that brush, have a plan in place for a stress-free project. These painting steps will point you in the right direction:
Choosing the Best Painting Tools
Paint rollers cover more surface area in one swipe, and paint trays include a ridged area to remove excess before applying it to the wall. For sections close to corners or trims, a paint brush allows you to get more detailed, and you can dip it into a convenient paint pail. Working on a large area or a commercial job? You might benefit from paint sprayers, which you can load paint into and evenly disperse onto the surface.
Blend Paint Well with the Right Strokes
Move from top to bottom with your roller, going in a V or W until the entire section is coated. Roll over the area again, sweeping from the ceiling to the floor in a continuous stroke to even everything out, plus catch any small areas you might’ve missed. As you head for the next section, overlap areas you’ve already painted. Once you reach the end of a paint stroke, lightly lift the roller or brush from the surface to avoid end marks that take away from a sleek appearance.
Preserving Paint Between Coats
After you apply the first coat, wait a couple of hours before painting the next. It’s the perfect time for a break, but before you do, put rollers and brushes in plastic bags to keep them from drying out. You’ll also need to remix the paint if it’s been sitting for a while. Having more than one can on hand allows you to add new paint once you use a good amount of the first can, and it helps ensure a consistent job.
Cleaning Everything Up
You’ve finished the painting, but you’re not done just yet. It’s a highly rewarding yet often messy project and there’s plenty to clean up. As soon as the paint dries – or even right before – peel away the painter’s tape to avoid it leaving residue on trim and moldings. Taping knives and scrapers may help you remove any stubborn pieces of tape.
There might be small, hardened drips that reduce the desired smooth look of your new wall. With paint thinners in our selection, you can apply a little to a dry cloth and gently rub around the drip, taking away the piece and not any paint.
Make sure the lids on paint cans are tightly sealed before putting them in storage and soak brushes and rollers in warm soapy water. Finally, you can lift drop cloths up from the floor and begin rearranging your furniture.
Feel Confident About Household Painting with Tractor Supply
When learning how to paint a wall or ceiling, you want the best supplies to get the job done correctly, from paint and thinners to brushes and tools. Discover the painting products we offer by visiting your local Tractor Supply store today or shopping with us online.