A step-by-step guide for preparing a room for painting

Have you ever watched that Mr. Bean episode where he paints his home? As children, watching that episode was probably all kinds of fun. 

As licensed and experienced interior painters, however, that episode shows you everything you should not do before painting your room.

The only thing Mr. Bean did right was covering up the things he didn’t want the paint to get on—like the doorknob and clock. That said, don’t think we want you to take a page out of his DIY attempt at painting a room or prepping a room for painting!

That is assuming you don’t have any plans to blow your paint up and coat your walls. 

If you are serious about painting your room without the mess and want to do a good job, give this post a quick read. 

Step 1: Get your tools and material ready

Remember how Mr. Bean’s paintbrush was dried solid and he attempted to hammer down the bristles to soften them? Nobody wants to experience this, which is why the first step in a paint project is to get all your tools ready.

Before you head to the store to buy the paint, make sure that you have the necessary tools for the job. These include:

• Painters tape
• Sandpaper
• Drop cloth
• Rags
• Putty knife
• Paintbrushes
• Roller brushes
• Paint roller extension pole
• Paint tray

If you can’t find these at home, making a list will help you remember what you need to get when you make the trip to buy the paint.

Step 2: Secure your valuables

If you are doing a paint job in a room that you are already using, chances are that it has furniture or other items that you want to protect from paint splatter. 

We recommend emptying your room of all decoratives and valuables. If that’s not possible with things like furniture, push them to the center of the room and cover them with a drop cloth or plastic sheeting.

If you don’t have valuables in the room that need removing or covering, jump to step three.

Step 3: Secure the floor 

After you secure your valuables, it’s time to prep the room for the paint job. There are a few things left to tick off before you get to the painting part of the project.

First, protect your flooring with a drop cloth. This step is crucial if you are painting a room with a carpeted floor or one with hardwood. Plastic sheets are cheaper, but they tend to puncture or scrape easily. It’s also dangerous to keep a ladder on a plastic sheet.

Step 4: Mask the room

Next, assuming that you aren’t going to do any drywall repairs for scrapes, scratches or cuts in the wall, you need to mask the molding, trims, and door and window casings using painters tape. 

Use your putty knife to seal the tape in and make sure you get a good seal, so the paint doesn’t get under the tape.

Lastly, you need to make sure the light switches or power points don’t get paint splatters. You can mask these using painters tape too. You can also do what professionals do and remove them off the wall. This can be dangerous though, so be cautious around unprotected switchboard coverings.

Prepare your room for DIY painting before you start your next paint project!

All this preparation may seem excessive. These steps, however, are necessary if you don’t want to deal with a mess after you’ve painted, and if you don’t want to ruin your valuables! 

If you’re still unsure about the best way to go about that, we’ve shared a few tips and tricks for interior painting, given our reputation as one of the best interior house painters in San Diego. 

Does all this still seem like a lot of work? Not to worry. Contact J Brown Painting if you want an awesome and reliable paint job. Tell us what you envision your room looking like and leave the hard work to us!