Paint a Bedroom for Kids
A new coat of paint and a little imagination go a long way in decorating a kid's room. Right from the start encourage, your child to get involved by choosing paint colors and decorations that he or she likes. You can keep it simple and paint walls and trim the same color or choose two shades of a color to create contrast. Use some faux finishing techniques like sponging and ragging on all or parts of the wall for a designer look.

Choose a paint designed to withstand the rigors of a child's bedroom formulated to provide a durable finish and withstand several washings. Use it on both the walls and woodwork for tough coat protection.

Getting Ready to Paint

Give a thorough dusting to ceiling corners and along baseboards so you don't spread dirt into the paint. Wrap a rag around a broom or use a vacuum's crevice tool to remove cobwebs in difficult-to-reach areas. If the walls are dirty use a solution of trisodium phosphate or Spic'n 'Span (TM) mixed with water to remove grease, grime, and mildew and rinse the washed area with water and let it dry.

Make repairs to the wall surfaces so they are completely smooth and free of cracks and holes. Use spackling compound to fill holes and hairline cracks and sand the patched area by feathering it into the wall surface. If there are ink or marker stains, use a stain killer like BIN (TM) which is a pigmented shellac that holds back stains so they don't bleed through a fresh coat of paint.

Remove the ceiling light fixture cover and wrap the base of the fixture with masking tape to protect it from paint. Remove the electrical switch plate and outlet covers and store them with their mounting screws in a plastic bag. Remove the lightweight furniture and wall decorations from the room and move the bed and dressers away from the walls toward the center of the room. Cover them with drop cloths.

Protect all woodwork and trim from the fine splatter left by the paint roller by loosely applying 1-in. masking tape or brown painter's tape to the upper edge of all the trim. Protect your floors and carpeting with drop cloths. Old bedspreads, sheets, and draperies work too. Spread them out so they overlap each other and cover the entire floor.

The Basic Equipment

Most painting is done with a roller but you need a brush to cut in areas where the roller can't reach. A 2 1/2 in.-wide straight cut brush is the best tool for this job because it is wide enough to carry paint for good coverage, but is still lightweight and easy to handle. Use this brush to outline the paint around baseboards, door, and window trim.

For painting woodwork invest in two size brushes, a 1-in. and 2 1/2-in. sash brush, which have bristles cut at an angle to apply a thin bead of paint. Either a nylon or polyester brush is your best choice with latex paint. Buy the best quality brush that you can afford and clean it thoroughly after each use and it will last indefinitely.

To apply paint to walls and ceilings use a 9-in. wide paint roller and handle that can accept a screw-in extension pole. Check that the wire frame is stiff so you will have good control over the roller. An inexpensive handle with a light frame will flex as you apply pressure and you'll get an uneven coat of paint with it.

Most good quality roller handles are sold without covers, which are also called sleeves. Choose a cover with a nap between 3/8 and 1/2 inches. It should fit tightly on the handle roller and have a plastic core so it can be reused.

Buy a sturdy paint pan with legs or corner brackets that hook over the top of a ladder. Don't be tempted by the cheap version, because when it is filled with paint the corners bend causing a spill.

How Much Paint Do You Need?

Figure that one gallon of paint covers about 320 sq. ft., slightly less if the walls are unpainted drywall. To estimate the amount of paint needed, calculate the area of the walls and then subtract the area where you won't paint like the doors and windows. If you're going to paint the ceiling, find its area only.

For the Walls and Ceiling

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 average sized door) and 15 sq. ft. (for each average size window) from the wall area. This gives you the actual area you have to paint. Then divide this figure by 320 to find the number of gallons of paint you need. Since quarts for paint are relatively more expensive than gallons, if your remainder is more than one-half, order that extra gallon, it is probably about the same cost as 3 quarts.

Most paints will cover in one coat but if your walls are painted yellow or a dark color or if they are a patchwork of spackling compound you will probably be better off priming the wall first. In this case, use a wall primer for the first coat because it's less expensive.

For the Trim

Painters figure an average window covers about 15 sq. ft. but most of this area is glass. Allow about 8 sq. ft. of paintable area for each window and about 25 sq. ft. of area for each door when you calculate the trim paint you need.

Painting

If your child is old enough, here's how a two-person crew works together painting a room: one painter outlines and cuts in the corners and the other painter applies the paint with a roller. Let the cut-in person 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 a painter would say, "you lose your wet edge," which happens when the cut-in paint dries.The paint applied by the roller then acts as a second coat and the two-coat area becomes a lap mark.

To avoid drips down the side of the paint can, use a nail to puncture several holes in the lid groove. As you dip the brush into the can, the excess paint drips back into the can and not down the side.

Ceiling

If the ceiling needs a coat of paint choose a ceiling white paint and begin by outlining it 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 spills or splatters.

To avoid countless trips up and down the ladder, attach a 4-ft.extension pole to the roller handle. Start rolling in a corner and work the roller back and forth parallel to the longest wall. This technique lets you spread paint into new areas, but prevents lap marks. Work your way across the ceiling in 3-ft. or 4-ft. wide areas until you reach the opposite wall. Then begin the same approach next to the painted area, working until the ceiling is completely covered with a fresh coat.

Walls

The first step painting the walls is cutting in or outlining the room with a 2-in. band of paint out from the corner on both sides. This step is necessary because a paint roller cannot reach into corners or paint right up to the woodwork. You don't have to complete cutting-in before you start rolling. 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.

The painter with the roller can then start rolling and overlap the cut-in area. You can use the extension handle with the roller to paint the entire wall or just the upper half. Do whatever is most comfortable for you. Overlap your roller strokes in the wall area where the furniture hits it and at eye level, because it's the part of the wall getting the most wear and tear.

Prep Work for Woodwork

To get a lasting finish on woodwork the paint must be applied to a clean, smooth surface. Normally, the paint is in good enough shape so that all you will have to do is make sure it's clean. If the surface is shiny, you must dull the sheen for the new paint to properly bond to the old surface. You can clean and degloss in one step if you use a paint deglosser that contains solvents that clean off grease and dirt as it removes the sheen of existing paint. Simply rub the deglosser on with a clean rag. This stuff is strong, so be sure to open the windows to provide plenty of ventilation and wear eye protection and a pair of rubber gloves.

To dull and smooth uneven painted surfaces use light-grit sandpaper (120) with a sanding block or electric palm sander. Feather the rough areas smooth so the paint has a clean, even surface to adhere to. Before painting, dust off the areas that were sanded.

If woodwork has cracks and holes, fill them with a wood filler using a small putty knife and sand it smooth.

Window Painting

If you're a neat painter, you don't need to protect the glass. Just remove any drip marks with a rag or with a razor scraper when dry. If you're not, keep wet paint off of the glass by masking it or with a wipe-on protective film, which is in a dispenser that looks like roll-on deodorant. Before applying any glass protection, make sure the window is clean and free of dust.

When painting windows, start paint from the inside and work out to the trim. Begin painting the vertical and horizontal dividers between the glass panes with your 1 1/2 -in. sash brush. When you are finished, paint the face of the sash and then start on the window jamb. Switch to your 2 1/2-in. brush for this wider work. Finish the jamb and then do the window trim and finish with the window sill and apron (trim beneath the sill).

Painting Doors

Use a roller for the front and back of flat surface doors and a sash brush on the side edges and on the top and bottom. Before rolling,use a sash brush to outline paint around the door handle and hinges. Paint a door while it hangs on its hinges, but remove sliding closet doors from their track and paint one side at a time until they dry; then paint the other side.

When painting a panel door, use a 2 1/2-in. brush and work from inside each panel out to the door's outer stiles so you can avoid creating lap marks. Paint the panels first, beginning with the decorative edge molding surrounding the door panel followed by the panel itself. Do this for all panels. Then paint the horizontal areas between the panels, then the vertical areas. Next paint the door edges. Finish by painting the horizontal panel at the top and bottom of the door, then the vertical outside areas.

When the door is painted, do the door jamb starting on the inside (door stop) and working out. Finish by making the cut along the outside edge and the wall. Complete the job by painting the face of the molding.

Special Effects

Two of the most attractive decorative paint finishes are the easiest to do and cost next to nothing to achieve - sponging and ragging. These decorative finishes are a glaze applied over the painted wall to add interest. Using sponges as an applicator has lots of possibilities. Use them to paint the bottom third of walls to create wainscoting in a room. For a more whimsical look, cut sponges into shapes of handprints, cat paws, stars and moons or bricks and apply them randomly or in a path across the wall.

Ragging involves using wads of cloth rags or plastic food wrap as an applicator to create a stippled effect. It's an attractive way to diffuse a color, such as softening a deep magenta with a lighter, paler shade.

Make a pallet for the finish paint by pouring it in a plastic food tray. Use cloth or plastic wrap dry, but soften sponge slightly with water and then dab them in paint using them as an applicator.

To paint only specific areas in a room requires masking off the surrounding areas with masking tape. Use 1-in. wide masking tape or painter's tape to define the area being painted and protect what is not.

Put your imagination and your kid's into full gear and make their room truly their own with a wall of handmade polka-dots made from their fingertips. Or make a cardboard comb with teeth cut out every 1/4-in. and use it to comb a design through wet paint. It's very attractive as a decorative outline around windows or doors. If you're game, use squirt guns filled with paint and spray the walls with a colorful splattering of paint.

Clean Up

Use the curved end of a paint stick to push the excess paint down the sides of a roller cover back into the pan or paint bucket. Wash the brushes and cover under a steady flow of warm water until all the paint is removed. Work the paint out of the heel of brushes using your hands. When the wash water runs free of paint, soak your brushes and roller in a solution of warm water and mild liquid soap. Rinse them in cold water then use a paint spinner to remove excess water. Store all your painting gear in a clean, dry place until you paint again.

Decorating Ideas

- Ever popular decals are a quick and easy way that kids use to decorate a room. Decals can be applied all over the walls in a random pattern or set within in an imaginary frame like they are a picture.

- A kid's room can be a living history of how they grow by decorated in their own handprints (or footprints). Trace handprints and cut into a stencil and instead of using a stencil brush to apply the paint, dabble on the color with sponges.

- Clever use of code flags and rope floats can create a nautical retreat for any sailor. To create stripes, apply paint in panels marked off by masking tape.


Written by the editors of HouseNet.

Copyright HouseNet, Inc.

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