Updating Your Room with a Fresh Coat of Paint

When you look around your room and notice it is starting to look dingy, you might wonder what the cheapest, easiest way will be to brighten it up. You might ask yourself how hard it will be to fix it up and what kind of problems you will run into? Another common question is, "Will special tools be needed?"

  The answers are, painting is often the cheapest way to perk up a room, and yes, it is a bit of work, and there are common challenges. There are also special tools required. With the simple steps that follow, however, you can fix up a room, and have the equipment on hand for any problems you come across.

  So you want to paint a room�first, consider what color you want to cover up, because that potentially adds an extra step to your project. If you are painting over a dark color with a light color, you will need to use a primer. If you are painting over a light color you do not have to do use primer.

  Now that you know you want to do this, it is time to head to the store to pick the exact color and type of paint you want. This can be a daunting task, are you going to use a flat or semi-gloss paint. It will also be really handy to have the size of room you are painting, so you can get the right amount of paint. After you have the paint picked out you can pick up the other supplies you are going to need. If you are doing your shopping at a local superstore, you should have no problem getting everything in one stop.

  What You Will Need to Paint a Room

• �          Paint
• �          Primer same amount as paint, only really needed if painting over dark paint with light paint.
• �          Spackle
• �          Putty knife.
• �          2 one inch paint brushes
• �          One paint edger tool
• �          Paint trays
• �          Stir sticks for mixing the paint.
• �          One sanding block
• �          2 drop clothes
• �          Rollers for all that are painting
• �          Long handles for painting next to the ceiling.
• �          2 rolls of blue painters tape.

  Preparing the Walls for Painting

  When you have collected all of the supplies and equipment needed, and you have emptied out the room, it is time to prep the room. You will want to pull all the nails in the walls, then take the spackle and putty knife and close up all the holes in the walls. This is a good time to also fill in any dents in the walls.

  While that is drying remove the light switch covers, and the outlet covers. When the spackle has dried, take the sanding block, and lightly sand all of the spots you fixed. Make sure the area is well ventilated before you start painting. Take the tape and mask off the light fixtures that can not be removed.

  Painting the Wall

  Now you are ready to paint. Lay out the drop clothes, and open the paint. Pour some paint into a tray, and take the paint brushes and start on the trim painting. A neat little trick is taking a piece of thin card board to help with the trim work. Take the cardboard and lay it against the ceiling and paint the edge trim around the ceiling. This also works around doors and windows. Once you have the trim done, remove the tape before the paint sets up.

Start to paint the rest of the wall. Take the rollers, and starting at the top, work your way down. Keep going until you are done. You will want to have the area well lit so you can see if there are any light spots in the paint. A second coat of paint is necessary if there are light spots.

If you have followed these steps, you should now be able to step back and admire your freshly painted walls. Congratulate yourself because you saved money and have a room that looks like new to enjoy.