DIY Room Painting Preparation

Drywall and Plaster Preparation Pull all unwanted picture hooks and nails and remove any loose debris from the holes with a stiff brush or a vacuum cleaner. Patch the holes using the method for Repairing Nail Pops.

Scrape walls and ceilings to remove any loose, peeling paint and wall material that you find. Seal these damaged areas with a shellac–based primer–sealer. When the sealer dries (about 30 minutes) patch the surfaces using these skim coating techniques.

Repair cracks, loose and damaged drywall tape using the method for Wall Crack Repair.

Repair water damaged drywall and plaster using Repair Water Damage and Repair Water Stains.

Prime new drywall installations with drywall primer. All drywall or plaster repairs should be primed with flat latex paint, latex primer or drywall primer. Seal water, ink or other stains on painted surfaces with a shellac–based primer–sealer. Prime new, bare wood trim molding with an alkyd undercoating.

Trim Molding with peeling paint should be scraped and sanded with medium 120 grit sandpaper to smooth paint edges. Prime random bare wood with latex or alkyd primer. Seal any water, ink or other stains with shellac–based primer–sealer. In old houses with redwood trim the red stain that bleeds through paint can be sealed with a water–based sealer. Use two coats to start and more if the stain persists. Finish coat trim with a semi–gloss enamel, either latex or alkyd based.

Caulk any gaps between trim and walls with a good quality (higher priced) latex painter's caulk. Some painting caulks have silicone added for durability. These are an excellent choice but don't use pure silicone caulk, paint will not stick to silicone.

Caulk cracks between walls and moldings using these Caulking Techniques. Also caulk any open joints between wood strips like stop bead and door jambs but don't caulk door panels, the caulk will crack when the panels expand and contract. Let the caulk set for at least an hour before painting. For more about caulking see the caulking techniques link above.

Mask adjacent trim or ceilings using painter's masking tape. Use multiple strips of tape to create a 3 inch barrier on all surrounding surfaces. See Painting a White Ceiling or Painting Trim for help.

Painting Over Wallpaper If a wall or ceiling to be painted is wallpapered, the paper should be removed. You can paint over the paper but this will not hide seams and it will be harder to remove the wallpaper in the future. In addition, if the paper is not vinyl but "paper" wallpaper, it will probably pucker and bubble with the application of a latex paint. If you must paint over paper wallpaper, prime with an alkyd primer or use a couple of coats alkyd paint to finish coat instead of using latex.

To hide wallpaper seams apply a few coats of joint compound using this crack repair method. Prime the wallpaper with an primer–sealer before applying joint compound. To remove wallpaper, see the Wallpaper Removal page for help.

Painting Wall Paneling Wipe simulated wood paneling with denatured alcohol and prime with a shellac–based primer–sealer before finish coating with latex or alkyd wall paint.

Real wood paneling should be lightly sanded with medium 120 grit sandpaper and primed with an alkyd undercoat. Finish coat with latex or alkyd wall paint. When coating large surfaces like walls with shellac primer or alkyd paints, wear a painter's respirator and ventilate the room to avoid breathing the fumes.

Painting Brick and Masonry New brick and concrete must cure for at least 6 months before painting. Remove any loose sand or other debris from masonry walls using a stiff brush. Repair cracks in walls with a masonry caulk or a fast plug concrete and spot prime the new patches before painting for a uniform finish coat.

Lightly dampen bare masonry walls and prime with latex or masonry primer using a long nap roller of ¾ to 1 inch. Apply 2 coats of primer or one coat of primer and one coat of finish paint. See more tips for painting masonry.

Painting Bathrooms Bathrooms can be a problem to paint due to mildew or bubbling and blistering surfaces. These problems are usually caused by poor ventilation in the room that allows moisture to become trapped. Use these tips to paint bathroom walls and ceilings.