Discover how to prepare a room for painting in no time at all with our step-by-step guide and ensure your paintwork applies seamlessly with every brush stroke.
Did you know that when it comes to decorating, 70% of the result can be attributed to the time spent preparing a room ready for painting? One of the experts from our Harris decorating team even told us he should actually be referred to as a sander and filler because these are the steps that take up the majority of his time during projects! Each step of these stages is vitally important if you want to see exceptional results. With our expert-led steps for preparing a room for painting, you’ll learn how to protect your valuables and stand out furniture pieces, sand like a professional and achieve a clean, flawless surface area that allows the smoothest finish.
Although this may seem like an obvious step, when it comes to redecorating an entire room, the starting point should always be to remove any furniture from the room first to avoid damage and staining from spillages as you paint. A far better DIY experience is guaranteed if you are able to move around the room easily and without obstruction. Equally, if the furniture can be temporarily stored in another area of the house, you are much less likely to damage any belongings and cause unnecessary frustration later down the line.
In the case that it’s not possible to remove all the furniture from the room for painting, you can always move the furniture to the centre of the room and cover it fully with an Essentials Polythene Dust Sheet.
Using a Seriously Good Dust Sheet to cover the floor is the best way to prepare a room for painting. The polythene back on this convenient dust sheet will effectively prevent spills from running through the fabric, whilst the cotton top traps dust, preventing it from ruining the paint finish.
One of the most important steps for preparing a room for painting is to tape the dust sheet down to the floor using some Essentials Masking Tape to ensure the sheet is securely in place. Next, take some Seriously Good UV Tape to attach the dust sheet to the wall and ensure the painting does not hit the floor or skirting.
If you are in fact painting skirting boards, tape the dust sheet to the carpet instead. You can achieve this by attaching the tape to the skirting board with a small upturned lip. Now using your fingers pull the carpet back and push the tape down. When you let go of the carpet, it should spring back a few millimetres under the skirting board. Repeat this easy process to sufficiently protect your carpets!
Many DIYers wondering how to prepare a room for painting might also have wallpaper hanging in the room that needs to be removed before painting or re-papering. However, it’s essential to consider the different types of wallpaper and how each might require a slightly different method to be removed successfully. We recommend following our simple guide on how to remove wallpaper, for a less stressful – dare we say, enjoyable experience!
To ensure a perfectly smooth surface in the room ready for painting, you must check the walls for any holes, cracks or imperfections. When trying to cut back on time, it can be too tempting to try and paint over the cracks; whilst this can work in the short term, it’s always better to permanently fix the problem before you begin. To learn about this vital step in more detail, read our guides on how to fill a crack in the wall and how to fix a hole in the wall to complete the job correctly the first time around and prevent the need for more severe repairs later.
When the surface of the wall is fully repaired, use some sugar soap and a Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth to thoroughly clean the surface, focusing on areas around light switches and plug sockets. Once the clean-up is complete, you’re ready to begin painting and transform the look of your room! To find out which steps to take next, check out our guides on how to paint a wall and how to paint skirting boards and craft the home of your dreams in no time.
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