How to paint interior walls

Painting is a great thing to do if you're just starting out at DIY. The more confidence you get, the more techniques you can try to create different painting effects. Read this guide to learn how to get the basics of painting a wall right.

Level of difficulty

Level 2: Intermediate

What you need

• Dust sheet
• Newspaper
• Sponge or rag
• Detergent
• Putty filler
• Putty knife
• Trim paint brush
• Fine sandpaper
• Small pot
• Paint roller
• Paint tray
• Soap or white spirit

The steps to follow

1. Remove all furniture and carpet out of the room. Alternatively, move the furniture to the middle of room and protect everything with dust sheets.
2. Line old newspaper near the area where you'll be painting.
3. Use a sponge or rag to wash away wall dust and debris with a detergent.
4. If there are cracks or holes in the wall, apply putty filler with a putty knife. Let it dry and sand the surface with fine sandpaper.
5. Use a trim paint brush to paint the borders of light switches, sockets, doors or windows. This process is referred to as "cutting in".

Note:
To avoid making a mess, pour the paint into a small pot and paint with a steady stroke for a nice straight edge.

6. Pour paint into a roller tray and daub the roller in the tray until it is entirely loaded with paint.
7. Divide the wall in 4 feet wide rectangles.
8. Paint a 2 feet wide "N", and spread the paint vertically by rolling it up and down the wall at moderate speed.
9. Repeat step 8 for the rest of the rectangles.
10. Finish painting the wall with the roller.
11. Allow 3-4 hours for the paint to dry before applying a second coat and repeat steps 5 to 7. For darker colours to develop, you'll need to let it dry overnight.
12. When you've done that, rub off excess paint from the brushes onto newspapers. Use soap and warm water to clean emulsion paint brushes and dry with paper towel. Use white spirit to clean oil paint brushes.