How to Paint a Room for a Professional Finish

This guide is for anyone who wants a freshly painted room that looks professionally done, with crisp lines, even coverage and no streaks or drips. You will learn how to choose paint, how much to buy, how to prepare surfaces properly, the right order to paint a room, and the cutting-in and rolling techniques that make the difference. Older homes and working at height carry risks: general information, not professional advice.

Choose Your Paint and Finish

Good paint is easier to apply and covers better, so it often costs less overall because you need fewer coats. The finish, or sheen level, matters as much as the colour: shinier paints are tougher and easier to wipe, but they show every bump in the wall.

Names and sheen levels differ between brands and countries, so compare the manufacturer's descriptions rather than the label name alone. Water-based paints dry quickly, have less smell and clean up with water; many are now available for woodwork as well as walls. Solvent-based paints are tougher in some uses but need white spirit or a similar solvent to clean and much more ventilation.

Work Out How Much Paint You Need

Running out halfway through a wall leaves visible joins. Measure first and buy a little extra.

1. Measure the walls Add the widths of all the walls together, then multiply by the height. This gives the total wall area.
2. Subtract large openings Take away the area of doors and big windows. Ignore small ones.
3. Check the coverage Read the tin. It states how many square metres or square feet one litre or gallon covers. Divide your area by this figure.
4. Multiply by the number of coats Plan for two coats on walls in most cases, and more for strong colour changes, bright reds and yellows, or bare plaster.
5. Add a margin Add about 10 percent and keep leftover paint for touch-ups. Label the lid with the room and date.

Coverage figures are for smooth, sealed surfaces. Rough, porous or textured walls can use much more paint. If you need several tins, mix them together in a large bucket, a process called boxing, so any slight colour differences between tins are evened out. Buy all your paint at the same time and note the batch numbers, which are usually printed on the tin.

Allow realistic time as well as paint. A medium bedroom typically takes a day for preparation and a day for two coats on ceiling and walls, with woodwork on top of that. Rushing the drying time between coats is one of the most common causes of a patchy finish.