How to paint a wall easy and fast

How to paint a wall easy and fast

Painting a wall seems pretty basic when you have been doing updates in your home before, but there are still little tricks you can learn to make your life easier.

And if you have never painted anything before, here is how to start: 

I have been painting a lot lately and want to share my easy tricks ‘How to paint a wall easy and fast‘ with you.

We moved into a “new” house six years ago. The whole house was painted brown-beige-green. It was almost unbearable for me to look at these walls.

Of course I started painting right away, as I always do after deciding on a color scheme for the whole house.

I painted all the walls, and I mean all the walls. It was a hard job, but sooo worth it.

 

See for yourself the before picture:

And the after picture (the fireplace is also updated in this picture):

Three years ago we moved into our next ‘new’ house and I started from scratch again. I painted the whole house again (although this house wasn’t painted in brown/beiges’).

I also ended up painting  the kitchen cabinets because they were brown and dated, so I can say I have some experience.

 

 

Here is the link to the kitchen remodel if you are curious how my kitchen cabinets look now: Paint your kitchen cabinets without sanding and priming DIY

 

How to start painting a wall

Before you start going shopping for paint, decide on the color. If you are not sure what paint color will work for you, download my tutorial ‘How to pick the right paint color’.

This tutorial will show you the right steps how to decide on the right wall color.

Get paint samples and paint chips and add them to the wall or room you want to paint.

Then decide which color fits the best and get the paint at your local shop. 

 

 

 

 

So what is the best way to paint a wall easy and fast?

Decide on a good color, don’t buy the real cheap one because you end up painting the wall double or even triple.

I love Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore paint. It is a little more expensive, but so worth it.

You will have to paint your wall twice (no matter what paint you buy)  if you decide on painting the walls white or almost white.

 

What is the best paint finish to choose from?

This is what you can choose from:

 

 

What paint finish do I recommend?

Gloss has the highest sheen, Flat paint has no shine.

In between are eggshell, satin, semi-gloss.

I either pick Satin or Semigloss as my finish as it reflects the light and gives it a nice shine. But it all depends on your own taste. 

 

.

This is your Shopping List:

Before you start, have everything available so you can get right to the job.

 

Depending on how big your paint job is you will need:

.

.

Step 1: How to prepare a wall before painting

Before you start painting, be sure all the walls are dust free and clean from spider webs.

This basement room I painted looked pretty bad and I used my ‘Swiffer’ to get rid of all the spider webs and the dirt on the walls.

Also make sure all holes are filled and sanded evenly.

      

.

 

Let’s get started with step number 2 start painting:

I always start by painting the corners first.

Use the angled brush which makes it easy to get a straight line.

I don’t use painters tape, because I think it is a waste of time.

If you have a little patience, you can paint straight lines especially if you use the right brushes.

Practice to paint straight lines if you have never painted before, it won’t take long if you hold the brush right.

Don’t add too much paint, start with just dipping the top of the brush in your paint. Start from top to bottom. 

 

 

When you are done with the ceiling and the corners, you can start with your paint roller. 

The wall I painted wasn’t huge, this is why I used a medium sized roller.

And using a medium size roller makes it easier to get very close to the adjacent walls without messing them up.

If you are painting a whole room or a larger wall, work with two rollers. A smaller size one to get close to the corners and a larger roller for painting the wall and being faster.

 

 

.

Step 2: Always start from top to bottom

Start by painting from top to bottom, don’t go sideways. Roll the roller a couple of times in the paint tray to load enough paint and then start rolling from top to bottom.

Always have enough paint on the roller, no need to press the roller hard onto the wall, just roll it easy and evenly.

If the paint drips, you have too much paint on your roller.

Always work from top to bottom, don’t roll sideways.

You see in this picture that you can get very close to the next wall with a medium size roller.

Work thoroughly and consistently. Don’t stop in between, because the paint drys and you won’t be able to make adjustments in case you have paint drippings on the wall.

You can see at the above picture that the paint looks darker on the corners because the paint is already dry.

 

Below you can see how the wall looks finished. It was a pretty easy and fast job, it took me maybe 30-40 minutes to get this wall done.

Yes, it wasn’t a huge job but you still have to be prepared and have everything ready. And if you know how to do it, then it definitely goes pretty fast.

 

Important Steps Summary:

Start with the corners. Use a good brush and paint a straight line from top to bottom.

Only dip the tip of the brush into the paint and move from top to bottom, paint a couple of inches and dip the brush in again.

If you have never done this before, rather start with just a little paint than too much paint on your brush.

Try it out how much paint works best until you get more comfortable.

You might have to do the corners a couple of times until it looks straight, but it is still so much faster than using painters tape.

Here is a close up picture so you can see how the corners look after the wall is painted and done:

.

Another tip how to paint a wall easy:

Wait until your paint is completely dry and check if you have unpainted spots. Step back and look also from the distance.

In case you have areas which are not completely covered, paint over them again. Wait again until the paint is dry.

Check thoroughly and if the wall looks good then you can wash your brushes and tray.

I always notice some little spots that I have missed after I have washed my brushes – pretty annoying.

 

 

If you have never painted before start with a small room or even better if you have a basement, start right there.

 

 

 

 

 

Final thoughts on painting a wall easy:

I am sure after you have painted your first wall you will feel more confident and tackle even bigger painting jobs in your house.

I just love to change colors, add an accent wall or a stencil to a wall. It feels so good to do this on your own, no handyman needed.

And if you paint a whole room, you don’t need to worry about the corners having a straight line. But you also have to paint the corners with a brush, because the roller won’t reach all the way into the corners. 

Just take your time, painting the corners to your ceiling evenly.

 

Practice a little bit and within short you are good to go. 

 

See you at the blog,

Conny xoxo 

 

 

Get access to my free Resource Library, filled with Tutorials, Checklists, Printables and so much more.

 

 

 

 

 

Want to remember this? Pin ‘How to paint a wall easy and fast’  to your favorite Pinterest board.