Support Your Local Stores
Find In-Store
Find In-Store
Around the House · Paint
How to paint a room
Painting a room well is 70% prep, 20% technique, and 10% the paint itself. Skip the prep and the best paint in the world looks like a bad paint. Do the prep and even mid-range paint looks great.
The Honest Read
What this job actually involves
Most people overbuy paint and underbuy prep supplies. A gallon covers about 350 square feet — one coat. You almost always want two coats. Measure the walls, do the math, then buy slightly more (not double).
The two things that separate a pro-looking job from a DIY-looking job: crisp lines where wall meets ceiling and trim, and no roller marks on the flat. Both are technique, not money.
Skip cheap brushes. A $4 brush leaves bristles in your paint and gives you fuzzy cut-lines. A $20 angled sash brush from a paint store will outlast three rooms.
What you need
Tools & materials
Shop the supply side here. The big-ticket stuff and the brand-restricted items, we'll point you local further down.
Tools
- Angled sash brush, 2-1/2″ (quality bristle)
- Roller frame and 9″ covers (3/8″ nap for smooth walls, 1/2″ for textured)
- Roller tray and liners (liners save the cleanup)
- Extension pole (4–8 ft)
- Drop cloths (canvas, not plastic — plastic slides)
- Painter's tape (yellow Frog Tape or green for delicate surfaces)
- 5-in-1 painter's tool (the most useful $8 in painting)
- Spackle, putty knife, sanding sponge
Materials
- Primer (if patching, going lighter, or covering a stain)
- Quality interior paint (eggshell or satin for walls, semi-gloss for trim)
- Spackling compound
- TSP substitute or all-purpose cleaner (for kitchens, bathrooms, near doorways)
The Steps
The order that matters
01
Clear and protect the room
Furniture out or pulled to center and covered. Outlet and switch covers off (one screwdriver, two minutes). Lay drop cloths edge-to-edge. Take down curtain rods and pictures — paint behind them, not around them.
02
Clean the walls
This is the step everyone skips. Wipe down walls with a damp cloth, especially around switches, doorknobs, and the kitchen. Paint doesn't stick to grease. Five minutes of cleaning saves you a peeling paint job two years from now.
03
Patch and sand
Spackle nail holes, dings, and cracks. Press it in with a putty knife, slightly overfill, let it dry, sand flush with a sanding sponge. Dust off. Bigger holes need patch screen or a backer — different job.
04
Tape and cut in
Tape the trim and ceiling line. The cut-in trick: load the brush, wipe one side, and lay the long flat edge against the ceiling about 1/8″ below the line. Drag — don't push. Then make a second pass right against the ceiling line. The first pass acts as the reservoir for the second.
05
Roll the walls
W-pattern, then fill it in. Don't over-roll wet paint — it leaves track marks. Work in 4″×4″ sections, keep a wet edge, and finish each wall before stopping. Two thin coats always beats one thick coat — every time.
06
Pull the tape and clean up
Pull tape while the paint is still slightly tacky — fully dry paint rips. Pull at a 45° angle, away from the painted surface. Clean brushes immediately (latex is much harder to remove dried). Pour leftover paint back into the can with a funnel, label it with room name and date for touch-ups.
Try local first · We'll wait
Why local paint stores beat everywhere else
Paint is one of those products where the relationship matters more than the price. A local paint store can match a color from a chip, a photo, or even a piece of the old can. They'll mix you a quart if that's all you need.
- Color matching from a chip, swatch, or sample — the box store machine can't always do this well
- Tinted primers that save you a coat of finish paint when going light over dark
- Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Farrow & Ball — authorized dealers only, and they stock the right products for your project
- Real expert advice on sheen, prep, and what works in kitchens vs. bedrooms vs. ceilings
- Quality brushes you can hold before buying — there's a real difference
When to call a pro
Call a painter if: the ceiling is over 10 ft and you don't have scaffolding; you're going from a dark color to a stark white (4+ coats with prep — not worth your weekend); you have lead-paint risk (house built pre-1978 with damaged paint — federal abatement rules apply); or there's water damage on the wall (find and fix the source first, then a pro can repaint over the repair properly).
Keep going
Related project guides
The NHG promise
We support local hardware stores — we don't replace them.
If your project needs hands-on help, expert advice, or a brand we can't ship, we'll point you to a store that can.
Why it's worth the trip →