Owens Corning
The Basics of Painting Walls and Ceilings
Here's what you need to know to prepare and paint drywall or plaster walls and ceilings like a pro.

Basic Equipment

For years, painting equipment consisted of a paint bucket and brush, then came the roller and pan. Since painting is so labor-intensive, there are now many time-saving gadgets on the market. Some are designed for high-volume professional use but many can be economically used by the weekend painter. You'll find the best selection of painting aids in a paint store that sells to both the professional and consumer.

If this is your first painting project, the best advice you'll get is to invest in good quality equipment and paint. Here's a checklist of equipment needed.

Drop cloths: If painting will always be a project you'll do yourself, invest in a couple of canvas drop cloths. These are heavy enough to withstand rugged foot traffic and will save your carpeting or hardwood floors from abusive wear and tear. The 8 x 10 ft. size is convenient to carry and move around and runs about $30.

As an alternative, use plastic drop cloths ranging from $3 to $5. If there's a choice, go for the heaviest (highest mil number) plastic drop cloth. You can use these alone or in conjunction with old sheets, blankets, or draperies placed over the plastic drops. Check to see that you do not have a slippery combination because some fabrics will slip and slide on top of plastic.

When positioning your dropcloth on the floor, make sure there's at least a foot overlap between drops. Also see that they reach well into all corners of the room and under radiators or heating units attached at the base of the wall.

Brush: Even though most of your painting will be done with a roller, you still need a brush to "cut in" or apply paint in the corners where the roller can't reach. A 2 1/2 in. wide brush is the best tool because it is wide enough to carry enough paint for easy coverage into the corner but still lightweight and easy to handle. Either nylon or polyester brushes are your best choice for materials to use with latex or oil (alkyd-based) paints. Bristle brushes tend to go limp if used with water based latex paints.

Roller Handle, Cover and Pan: The easiest method for the do-it-yourselfer to apply paint to walls and ceilings is with a 9-in. wide paint roller. Purchase a good quality roller handle that can accept a screw-in extension pole. Check that the wire frame is stiff. An inexpensive handle with a light frame will flex as you apply pressure and you'll get an uneven coat of paint with it. A heavy, stiff handle frame allows the roller to be worked into corners.

Most good quality roller handles are sold without covers (sometimes called sleeves). Purchase a cover labeled for walls and ceilings or one that has a nap between 3/8 in. and 1/2 in. If you have to paint a textured ceiling or other rough surface, get a heavier roller cover, one with a longer nap.

The sleeve or roller cover should fit snugly on the handle roller. The better quality covers have a plastic core and are reusable. They will provide years of service if you cared for them. You'll also find a cheaper line of "disposable" covers with cardboard cores, some are made of a sponge-like material. If your stint as a painter will be short-term, these covers are fine. They are also good when you use oil paints because you can just throw them out.

Purchase a sturdy paint pan. Some inexpensive roller pans are so flimsy that if you pick them up filled with paint, one corner flexes and spills the paint. A quality pan is sturdy and has legs or corner brackets that allow you to hook it over the top of a ladder.

If you're painting several rooms the same color, try this inexpensive system used by the pros. Instead of using a roller pan, get a 5-gallon paint bucket with a lid and a roller screen that fits into the bucket. You can purchase a roller screen at most large paint stores that cater to professionals. This screen hooks over the top edge of the bucket and hangs into the container.

To use the system, fill the bucket with a couple gallons of paint, dip the roller into it, and work it up and down the screen. By pushing the roller over the screen you ring out the excess paint that runs back into the bucket.

The system works best with an extension handle screwed into the roller handle. This rig keeps you painting for a long time without stops to refill. When it's time for a break, just drop the grate into the bucket, snap on the lid, and wrap the roller cover in some aluminum foil.

How Much Paint Do You Need?

Figure that one gallon of paint covers about 350 sq. ft., slightly less if the walls are unpainted drywall. To estimate the amount of paint needed requires some basic math. You have to calculate the area of the walls and then subtract the area of places that you won't paint like the doors and windows. If you're going to paint the ceiling, find its area only.

Find the perimeter of the room by adding the lengths of each wall together, then multiply this figure by the ceiling height. This number is the total square foot area of the walls. Subtract 20 sq. ft. (for each door) and 15 sq. ft. (for each average size window) from the wall area. This gives you the actual area you have paint. Then divide this figure by 350 to find the number of gallons of paint you need. If you end up needing 3 quarts, purchase a gallon. You can use the extra paint for touching up later on.


Two coats are needed if the walls or ceiling are painted in a dark color or if they're heavily patched. If that's the case, use a wall primer, which is less expensive for the first coat. Some painters add tint to this white primer to bring it close to the final paint color to assure coverage.

Choosing the Right Paint

Alkyd (oil) based and latex-based paints are the two major types of paint to use on walls and ceilings. Alkyd-based paints are durable and washable and must be thinned with mineral spirits, which is also used to clean brushes and rollers.

Latex paints, on the other hand, are water-based so clean up is easy with plain soap and water and it doesn't have the strong smell of alkyd-based paints. Both alkyd and latex wall paint is available in flat or semi-gloss finish.

Generally, flat latex paints are the best choice for the do-it-yourselfer to use on most walls and ceilings. Flat paint is easy on the eye since there's minimum light reflected off the walls to cause glare.

In heavy traffic areas like the kitchen, bathroom, hallway or a little kid's bedroom, consider using a semi-gloss paint that has a higher sheen and can withstand several washings. Alkyd-based paint (flat or semi-gloss) is a good choice in the bathroom, especially if you like to take long, steamy showers because it has good resistance to mildew. If mildew does appear, it's easily removed with a bleach and soapy water solution. Alkyd semi-gloss's tough surface can withstand such abuse.

Quality paint gives better coverage and washes better than economy paints. Most offer one-coat coverage under normal conditions. The cost of even the most expensive paint is modest compared to the value of the labor involved in preparing and painting the walls or ceiling. In the long run, spending the money for top quality paint is more economical because the price difference between the top of the line and a bargain paint is usually only $15 to $20 for the average-sized room.

Getting Ready to Paint

Give a thorough dusting to ceiling corners, along baseboards and inside closets so you don't spread dirt into the paint. Use a rag wrapped around a broom or a vacuum's crevice tool and duster attachment to reach difficult areas.

Use a solution of trisodium phosphate (TSP) mixed with water or Spic 'n ' Span (TM) to remove grease, grime, and mildew. Use a strong household detergent if phosphate-based solvents are not allowed in your area. Rinse the washed area with water and let it dry.

Before painting make repairs to the drywall and plaster surfaces so they are completely smooth and free of cracks and holes. If there are ink or marker pen stains, use a stain killer. BIN (tm) is one widely available pigmented shellac that is effective as a primer to hold back stains so they do not bleed through your fresh coat of paint.

If you're working in empty rooms, you're lucky because removing and working around household furnishings is additional work. Everything that's left in the room should be carefully covered with old bed sheets, blankets, or plastic drop cloths taped closed. Relocate as much furniture as you can in other rooms. What can't be easily moved, place in the center of the room at least 3 ft. away from walls. If it's a large room, stack furniture in 2 areas so there's ladder space in between. Completely cover up wall-to-wall carpeting and hardwood flooring with a drop cloth and remove area rugs.

Protect all woodwork and trim from the fine splatter left by the paint roller by loosely applying 1-in. masking tape to the upper edge of all moldings and chair rails. Press the tape down gently to cover all surfaces where paint spray might land. The mastic used on masking tape will set if left in place too long, so remove all tape as soon as the paint has dried.

If it's feasible, remove hanging chandeliers and wall fixtures; otherwise, wrap them in plastic dry cleaning or garbage bags taped closed. Use the tape carefully so it covers only what is not being painted. Make sure that wall and ceiling surfaces are not covered with tape so they can be painted. Take off the electrical switch plate and outlet covers with a screwdriver and store them and the mounting screws together in a plastic bag.

Paint the Ceiling First

Start with the ceiling. Move the furniture around if necessary so you can reach all parts of the ceiling easily. When you are finished, move everything to the center of the room so you have free access to the walls.

Since the paint roller cannot reach into corners or paint right up to woodwork, the first step is cutting in or outlining a room with a 2-in. band of paint. You don't have to complete the cutting-in before you start rolling. A 2-person crew works well together painting a room: one painter who outlines and cuts in the corners and the other painter who applies the paint with a roller.

Allow the cut-in person to get a head start, but he shouldn't be more than 20 minutes ahead of the roller man. If you get too far ahead, you will get lap marks or as painter would say "lose your wet edge," which happens when the paint used to cut-in dries. The paint applied by the roller then acts as a second coat and this 2-coat area becomes a lap mark.

If you use the same color on the walls and ceilings, you have less pressure to make accurate cut lines at the ceiling wall joint. If there's molding at the ceiling, paint it first. If not, begin by outlining the ceiling with a 2 1/2 in. brush. To assure coverage, lay on paint as heavily as you can without dripping. Spread the paint evenly but don't brush it too much. Keep a damp rag handy to wipe off any paint you get on the woodwork or walls.

The quickest way to paint the ceiling is with a 4-ft. extension pole handle attached to the roller handle. With this rig, you avoid countless trips up and down the ladder. Start rolling in a corner and work the roller back and forth parallel to the longest wall. Work your way across the ceiling in 3 or 4-ft.-square patches. When you reach the opposite wall, go back to the first wall. This technique lets you spread paint into new areas, but prevents lap marks.

Dip your roller in the paint, but don't submerge it to avoid getting paint inside the roller. This can cause runs and drips or uneven rolling when the paint begins to leak out. Dip frequently and don't be stingy. If you try to spread the paint too far, you will not get even coverage.

Cut-in and Paint the Walls

With the ceiling painted, start cutting-in the corners of the room. Lay on paint in the corner and about 2 inches out from the corner on both sides. The painter with the roller then can overlap the cut-in area. Outline one wall at a time working along the ceiling and into the corners. Then cut in around doorway and window trim and any cabinets or other built-ins.

A "paint pad'' with wheels in one edge rolls along the side of trim to help makes a clean cut. This is an option to cutting in that is sometimes handy.

The roller person can use the extension handle with the roller to paint the upper half of the wall. Then remove the handle and finish the wall. Overlap your roller strokes in the center of the wall since this area takes most of the abuse, and it's the part that most people look at.

Actually, you can use the pole to paint the entire wall. Begin rolling the upper third of the wall and then work the roller down the wall. Step back a bit to roll the center section, then move closer to the wall to paint the lower sections. Roll out small sections at a time to avoid lap marks.


written by the editors of HouseNet.

Copyright HouseNet, Inc.

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