How to Paint a Wall

Head to the hardware store to pick your wall paint colors. Choose latex paints in satin or eggshell finish for most interior walls. Durable semigloss paints are shinier and can be used on kitchen and bathroom walls. Opt for flat finishes for walls with imperfections; flat finishes hide defects. Glossier sheens will highlight flaws. Once you have your paint mixed, apply it to your walls within 24 hours—any longer than that and the colorant will start to separate from the base paint and your wall color won't have even coverage.

Then, prepare the room by moving small furnishings out. Push larger pieces to the room's center and cover with plastic. Remove all wall-mount fixtures and hardware; take down curtains and artworks. Cover switch plate and outlet receptacle openings with plastic and painter's tape.

Also consider adjusting the room's humidity levels. When you're painting inside your house, you don't have to worry about rain pouring down your newly painted surface. You should, however, be mindful of the inside temperature and humidity. Interior paint goes on more easily and dries more uniformly in moderate temperatures and average humidities. Ask your supplier for the interior temperature and humidity ranges most suitable for your paint. You may need to adjust the thermostat, open windows, or add an exhaust fan to control the temperature. If the air is heavy with moisture (often the case when it's raining outside), you may be able to reduce the humidity by turning on the air-conditioning to a low level or bringing a dehumidifier into the room. To raise the humidity in a dry room, run a humidifier.

Use a broom or dust mop to sweep dust and cobwebs from the room's ceilings, walls, and woodwork. If there is a lot of dust in the space, vaccuum as well to get rid of particles that could get stuck in the paint.

Next use a putty knife and surfacing compound to fill nail holes; thinly spread surfacing compound across each hole using an X-motion. Scrape off excess. Let dry. For any hole larger than a screw or nail hole, use a drywall patch or drywall repair kit.

Sand the patched areas with fine-grit sandpaper until it is smooth and flush with the wall. If you sanded too aggressively or your putty shrank in the hole, repeat the previous step and sand again until you reach the desired finish.

Working from the baseboards up, wash walls and woodwork with TSP and water. Take special care to remove greasy residue; grease may interfere with paint adhesion and create a bumpy finish.

Rinse walls with water and let dry fully before starting to paint.

Lay down drop cloth. Protect woodwork, ceilings, and other non-wall surfaces with painters tape. Adhere the tape firmly to surfaces in a straight line, making sure tape edges don't intrude on areas to be painted.

Fill a small hand-held container with paint. Working on one wall at a time, use an angled sash brush to apply lines of paint (cutting in) along the top of the wall, around window and door trim, down the corners, and above the baseboard.

Starting in a corner, roll paint in a W-pattern across the walls. Work in small, 3- to 4-feet sections, getting even coverage before moving too far along the wall. If your reach is short, attach the roller to an extension pole. Once you've filled in the area, finish it with light vertical strokes to smooth the paint and remove roller marks. Alternate between cutting in and rolling until you've completed a wall.

Check the finish for flaws, missed spots, texture paint, or drips; try to repair defects before paint dries. How much time you need to allow for latex paint to dry and properly cure depends on what you intend to do with it after it's applied. 

Generally you'll need to wait at least 2 hours before applying the next coat of paint. You may need to wait even longer if conditions, such as high humidity or low temperatures, slow down the drying process, if you've applied the paint in a thick coat, or if you've applied a heavily tinted paint (one with more than 8 ounces of colorant per gallon). If paint is blistering, wrinkling, or lifting, or if it has an uneven sheen, it needs to dry longer before recoating or applying a wall paint design. 

Remove painters tape as quickly as possible while the paint is still tacky. This will prevent tape from getting stuck to the wall. 

Normally you should wait 2 weeks or longer before cleaning the surface. Some manufacturers recommend 30 days, and the wait time is influenced by a number of factors. Gloss paints have more co-solvent to evaporate and rely on getting maximum hardness from the binder, so they require longer drying than flat paints. Your cleaning method also matters. Cleaning with a wet sponge is less demanding than with a brush and detergent. If your paint abrades, blisters, or changes its sheen or color when you try to clean it, you'll need to wait longer.

Allow 30 days before applying masking tape to new paint to prevent the tape from pulling up the paint. This extended dry time allows residual co-solvents time to evaporate so they won't bond to the tape adhesive.