Painting Walls

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When it comes to painting walls, ceilings and trimwork, I get many questions from my clients and friends on what order do I or should people paint rooms.

Do I paint my ceiling first?
Do I paint all the trim, then the walls, or vice versa?

Well, to answer the first question - Yes, ceilings should be painted first if they are included in your tasks. Have a look at my section on painting ceilings.

The basic principle that painters follow is to paint top down.

You'll see some tips in books and on the internet that follow the rule of always painting the trim first then the walls. There are some reasons for doing this...

The argument for painting woodwork first before painting walls is that any stray drips or spatters that end up on the wall only need to be feathered out, not removed, since the wall's going to get a new coat of paint anyway.

It is sometimes a good idea to paint the woodwork before painting the walls, overlapping the walls slightly as you work on the woodwork. You find it easier to paint a straight edge along a wall than along the edges of narrow or curved woodwork. Be sure to protect freshly painted woodwork when working with a roller on walls.

Ok, let's assume that you've taken care of painting the trim and are ready to proceed with painting walls, but first let's look at the importance of mixing the paint properly.

Mixing the Paint

Paint separates when it sits, so you must mix it thoroughly before you use it. Let your paint dealer mix it on a machine if you will be painting right away. If you have had the paint for a while, turn the can upside down and let it sit for 24 hours before you open it.

To mix a full can manually, first pour about a third of the liquid into another container; stir the remainder with a wooden stir stick until it is well mixed. Then gradually stir the reserved liquid back into the can. You can also buy a special propeller-like metal attachment for your power drill to mix paint.

Pour paint from a large can into a small container or roller tray, and close the can. This keeps your supply from drying out, picking up stray grit, or spilling.

Another nice item that I use is a paint can lid or cover. They come in various models, but the basic principle and features are the same. It has a spout to make pouring the paint easier and less messy (no paint running down the sides of the can). Some of them come with an access flap for dipping in your paint brush and a ridge to tap off paint from the brush.

Cutting In

Now it's time for "cutting in" all of the corners and edges of the walls.

This can be accomplished with either a high quality sash brush or by using paint pad applicators.

It's a bit difficult, although, for painting walls that are under a popcorn ceiling without getting paint on the acoustic material. This is especially true if the line where the ceiling meets the wall is irregular.

One tip that I heard years ago and one that I found that works well, is to even up the edge of a popcorn ceiling by running your spackle blade horizontally all the way around the perimeter.

Scribing this line dislodges whatever acoustic material is touching the sidewall. It also creates a small gap that becomes the demarcation line between the ceiling and the wall.

To cut in with a brush, paint a 2-inch strip around all the edge areas that a roller cannot easily reach. It's a lot easier if you try to hold a trim brush as you would a pencil.

Lightly load the brush with paint. Press the brush against the wall just below the ceiling line. Hold the brush at an angle so the forward edge of the brustles form a tip. Run this tip into the gap between the wall and ceiling.

Cutting in with a pad edger applicator.

For painting walls, pads are made not only in a variety of shapes and sizes, but also in a mix of materials and hold devices. There are edging pads with adjustable wheels that let you cut a straight line as you paint next to the ceiling. There are triangular paint pads that do corners, and narrow rectangular ones for window trim.

Paint pads come in a wide choice of naps - from 3/8-nch synthetics for painting flat surfaces to thick mohair for applying smooth stains without brush marks and even deeper-piled synthetics for one-coat coverage of rough stucco walls.

Not everyone is comfortable with paint pads for painting walls. For many painters who use brushes with confidence and satisfaction, paint pads seem to match neither the control offered by brushes nor the speed associated with rollers. Others, however, find paint pads efficient to use and easy to care for.

To load a pad, dip it no deeper than its pile into a flat tray of paint, or run it back and forth across the roller of a pad tray.

Cutting in can be done very quickly with a pad.

With all of the edging or "cutting in" finished, it's time for rolling the walls...

Rolling the Walls

The rolling technique for painting walls and ceilings is similar. You can work in 3-ft. squares, which is about the coverage of a single roller-load of paint.

The first stroke made with a freshly loaded roller should be away from you. Then you need to distribute the thickest part of the paint evenly over the square. On walls, it's best to make an "M" pattern.

To avoid roller marks, make the pattern without lifting the roller. To fill in, work the roller back and forth without lifting it off the surface.

Dip the roller again and do the same pattern and fill-in on the bottom 3-ft section, blending into the top section.

To finish, and this is the important part - with light pressure, roll the section just painted in full strokes from top of the wall to the bottom. This will remove any lap marks.

Tip: the longer the nap, the less dipping needed and the faster the rolling. I wouldn't use anything shorter than a 1/2" nap for smooth walls. Textured surfaces need an even longer nap.

Watch the back and forth strokes of your roller and you’ll notice the surface is smoother after a pass in one direction than in the other. The reason: the nap on the roller has a slight slant. Arrange your work so the final strokes are applied with the roller moving only in the direction of the smooth result. This might call for a vertical up-stroke, roller lift-off, then another vertical up-stroke. (Or horizontal strokes in one direction.) If you prefer down strokes, simply turn the roller handle over in your hand. Look for this smoother direction next time you use a roller. You’ll get a better finish.