Let our expert guide show you how to paint a hallway with stunning results every time. Discover our Harris-approved techniques and the best brushes for painting a hallway below!
While the hallway may not always be the section of the home at the top of everyone’s DIY list, it’s important to remember that it’s the area that welcomes family, friends and guests before any other room is seen! More than this, however, the hallway is the first thing you see after re-entering the home after a long day’s work or a family trip away and should therefore inspire positive emotions and create that ‘welcome home’ feeling.
However, these areas are often narrow and slightly more awkward to paint, which is why expert advice is required to perfect your hallway painting. With our easy-to-follow tips on how to paint a hallway, you’ll create a showstopping look for your home in no time at all and be the envy of all that walk through the front door.
As with any DIY project, the first step is getting the room fully prepared and ensuring no avoidable damage is caused to furniture and flooring from potential spillages, and the same applies when it comes to how to paint a hallway. Begin by removing any furniture from the room and placing a Seriously Good Cotton Rich Dust Sheet down to sufficiently protect your furniture and floor. To ensure the sheet is securely in place and prevent it from slipping beneath your feet and causing injuries, apply some Essentials Masking Tape to the edges of the sheet. The masking tape also provides additional protection, stopping paint from bleeding through onto the skirting or flooring.
Next, it’s time to make sure the surface of the walls is perfectly smooth and free from cracks or holes that can affect the quality of the paintwork. Assess the walls for any damage and begin sanding and cleaning any Imperfections with sugar soap to ensure your primer and top coat applies seamlessly.
For further support on preparing the area for painting, head to our guide on how to fill a crack in the wall. Now that the surface is suitably prepared, take some of the Seriously Good UV Tape to mask off detail areas including skirting boards, door frames, window sills and architraves.
The best way to paint a hallway and any room with an even, flawless finish is to begin cutting in around any detail areas. Check out our guide on How to Cut in Paint to find out more and master this step in minutes.
Shake your new unopened tin of paint, then open and thoroughly stir the paint to ensure a smooth and lump-free consistency. Dispense some paint into a Small Ultimate Handy Hold, being careful not to over-saturate the brush to avoid unwanted dripping.
To cut in like a professional, we recommend working in 1m segments to ensure precision is achieved. Our incredible Ultimate Blade Brush is the perfect tool with a very fine, thin tip to allow precision and make more intricate paintwork quick and simple.
Position the long-edged tip of the brush against the detail area you’d like to paint around and begin to pull the paint along that section. Next, paint slightly higher using the brush as normal, aiming to cover a 5-10 cm painted area around the edge you are cutting in.
Once you have cut in a 1m segment, it’s time to switch to the Ultimate 4-inch Walls and Ceilings Roller to remove the framing effect of the previous step. Loading the roller with paint, place it on the wall roughly a foot away from the section you have previously cut in. Begin rolling in a light W motion towards the painted area, overlapping with the brushed area as much as possible and taking care to avoid any edges.
Now it’s time to cover the larger surface area of the wall and with the Ultimate 9 Inch Powercoat Roller you can achieve rapid, powerful coverage and an even finish with every use. Screw the pole and roller together, load the roller with paint and place it on the wall about 1m away from the nearest painted edge. Begin rolling towards the painted edge, back and forth in a slight W motion. Extend the pole to cover higher and lower areas of the wall with minimal effort. Making use of the extension pole will also ensure that the job is completed in far less time, enabling you to progress to the next stage in your DIY journey. This technique will ensure beautiful coverage every time and make painting your hallway a breeze.
To make sure your hallway ceiling and skirting looks as incredible as your freshly painted walls, be sure to read our guides on how to paint a ceiling and how to paint skirting boards!
When your painting is complete, clean your brushes immediately to avoid the risk of a more painful, time-consuming job later and ensure your expert tools are ready for the next big project. With the Easy Clean technology of the Harris Ultimate range, your brushes can be cleaned more quickly and efficiently than ever before; simply rinse under warm water from the tap, facing downwards until the water runs clear and pat dry with the Seriously Good Paper Roll.
Discover more simple and effective guides in our How To section today and make painting a pleasure.
