Painting 101 For First Time Painters

1. Make a plan

Take the time to make a plan before you begin.  Assess your room and ask yourself, what will the room be used for? Is there a lot of natural light? What colour will you paint it, bold or neutral? Use the Taubmans Paint Planner tool to take the stress out of planning and help you easily create a timeline and shopping list for your project. 

2. Choose the right paint for your project

There are several finishes to consider when it comes to your paint – matt, low sheen, semi-gloss and gloss.

• Low Sheen– Low Sheen paint is the most commonly used paint for interior walls, with a gloss level of 5-10%
• Semi-Gloss– Semi-gloss paint is most often used on doors, trims, and cabinets in kitchens, laundries and bathrooms and high traffic areas. It is easily cleaned and lays down a nice and subtle shine.
• Matt Finish– This paint finish is usually used on interior walls. It's especially good if you have to camouflage small wall bumps, cracks, or other imperfections, as this finish does not reflect light.

3. Prep your space for painting 

Set aside some time to properly prep your room and walls. Remove furniture and other belongings from the room, tape up any tricky edges and remove any light fittings or picture hooks. Next give your walls a wash with a soap solution of detergent and water and allow them to dry completely. Last, fix up any imperfections, such as cracks, gaps and holes with a filler and lightly sand the surface to an even smoothness.  Now your walls are ready for a fresh coat!

4. Enlist your crew and get painting!

Painting with pals is the best way to make the task even more fun. Get your crew around and pump up the music to make painting your room more of a party! Here are a few tips to help even novice painters get a professional finish:

• Paint the ceiling first, then cornices and edges where the wall meets the ceiling. Then move on to walls, doors and window frames  - start away from the main window and work towards the light to avoid painting in shadow
• Paint the walls starting at the edges and do the corners with a brush
• When it comes to the trim, paint using a brush, working along the skirting and then do the door and window frames
• Try not to paint too large an area at one time. Overlapping occurs when a freshly painted section begins to dry before you start painting the adjoining area, and it's best to finish one wall at a time to prevent drying and streaking
• Once the paint is distributed and the roller almost dry, go back over the whole area in long even strokes to create an even finish

5. Clean up the right way

Once your walls are painted and you’re basking in the glow of your accomplishment, make sure you clean up correctly! It’s likely that you might have some paint leftover. Throwing it away isn't good for the environment and you'll probably need some for touching up in the future, so we recommend hanging on to it. If you don't store it correctly, in a year or so the paint may become lumpy or even rusty.

You’ll need plastic food wrap or a plastic grocery bag, and a rubber mallet or a hammer and a small block of wood. Next, follow these steps:

1. Wipe away paint on the lip or rim of the paint can.
2. Take the plastic wrap or grocery bag and cut in a circle slightly bigger than the size of the can of paint.
3. Put the plastic on top of the can of paint before you put the lid back on. The plastic will act as an air seal and will keep the paint from drying out.
4. Fasten the lid back on the can using the rubber mallet, or by tapping lightly on the small block of wood using the hammer.
5. Store the paint in a dry and cool place out of the direct sunlight, also ensuring it does not freeze.
6. If you have paint cans that are empty you might be able to throw them away or recycle them, after letting any residual paint dry.