Painting the Interior of Your Home

After you have finished all the heavy and dirty prep. Work you are ready to begin painting. Painting form the top down is a room is generally considered the best sequence, ceiling walls, woodwork, including windows, doors and moldings and then the floor.

The main argument for painting walls before trim is that you're likely to spatter wall paint on to the trim while rolling paint on the walls. You can always wipe down spills off the trim if you don't plan on painting the trim, you can apply one coat before painting the walls an another one after. This will give the first coat time to dry.

Painting Ceilings and Walls
It is a good idea to divide up painting interior ceilings and walls in to two, cutting and rolling. The cutter outlines with a brush all the areas that a paint roller cannot cover without getting paint on an adjacent surface. If the ceilings and walls are the same color, you can cut in both at the same time. If you're painting with a partner or helper, start by spreading a two-inch band of paint on the ceiling all around it perimeter. Lap marks can result if the cut in paint series before you blend in the rolled area with the cut in area so do not let the outliner get too far ahead of the roller. You will also want the roller to roll over as much of the cut in band of paint as possible as the texture a brush and roller leave are very different.

The outliner and roller should observe the top down rule and paint in the following sequence.

The outliner paints the ceiling molding, if any and then cut in a band of paint on the ceiling along the short wall.
The roller follows the outliner, rolling the ceiling as soon as its cut along one wall.
The outliner cuts in a band of paint on one wall at the ceiling and down the wall in the corners and then across the bottom of the baseboard. The roller is then free to begin that wall.
The outliner cuts in around any windows and doors on that wall and then any other areas the roller can't do such as around light fixtures or behind rollers.
The outliner completes the wall by cutting in the wall at the baseboard
The roller follows along, usually at a pace that makes the outliner feel as if she is being pushed along.
The process continues in the manner until all the walls are done.

A nine-inch roller is very useful for painting broad flat surfaces such as walls and ceilings. Before using a new roller, wrap it in masking tape and then peel off the tape. This gets rid of new roller fuzz that can drive you crazy if they get on your newly painted wall.

Start painting by carefully rolling a band of paint to smooth and blend in the cut in areas while you still have a wet edge. Now you have a nice wide band so you won't spatter the adjacent surface as you roll the rest of the ceiling. By working across the narrow dimension and starting each row at the same wall, you maintain a wet edge and spread the paint in to new areas without creating noticeable lap marks.

A pole extension attached to your roller can be extremely useful and allows you to do work without the neck strain and less bending and of course without the need for ladders.

When rolling walls, use the following tips.
Begin in a corner- for ceilings, lay down a big "W" pattern about three feet wide. For walls, lay down a roller width coat of paint form top to bottom. Then smooth out your work by rolling lightly a three square foot area on the ceiling or from ceiling to floor on walls with a dry roller. Continue to work your way across the ceiling or along the wall.

Don't be mean with the paint. By applying a single ceiling to floor vertical or "W" pattern of paint per roller of paint and then smooth only that area you will assure adequate coverage.

Step back and check out your work frequently and from several angles to check for lap marks and missed spots, be sure you have adequate lighting.

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