Painting DD's room and have no idea how

[Honey693]

I plan on painting my DD's room this weekend, but I have no idea where to start. Right now it's Thomas the Tank Engine blue and I'm either doing hot pink on one wall and the rest white or the whole thing light pink. There are a few holes that need to be spackled and that seems fairly easy, but beyond that I'm lost. Do I really need to sand the walls? Does the whole room need to be painted with primer first? Any advice?

I also want to repaint her dresser, but I have no idea what I need to do to that either.

[Alyantavid]

Yes you'll want to use primer first. We repainted a room in a similiar color and it took a coat of primer and 2 coats of paint. White and light pink are much lighter colors than blue and they probably won't cover well.

I don't think you'd need to sand the walls. You may need to sand around where you've spackled though.

[number572]

If you skip the priming, you'll end up having to use more paint anyway. For the hot pink wall you could use a deep pink tinted primer to help that color "pop". Not sure how big your room is but I'd get a gallon of white primer and a quart of dark primer. And sand if its needed, like pp said, but I wouldn't sand the whole room. Its just messy & who needs all that old paint dust creeping into EVERYTHING!? I would wipe down the walls before priming tho, just a tiny tiny drop of detergent in a gallon of warm water and a rag - just to remove any oils from fingers or anything thats splashed or spilled... but the primer is great on its own.

*tip* - After the first coat, wrap the roller in a plastic bag (double bag it) and put it in the fridge or a cool dry place and you can reuse it for the second coat w/o washing it.

For furniture, I'd do a quick light coat of primer & then use a mid to hi sheen paint for durability. Maybe in a contrasting color. EX - if the wall is hot pink, maybe a bright orange dresser... and paint the knobs same as the wall.

[JamieCatheryn]

Patch the holes, let that dry thoroughly, sand those spots, if needed spackle, dry, and sand again. Clean the walls, make sure no cobwebs or dust are there. Take off outlet and switch covers. You may want to gently remove trim(mouldings) before painting then nail it back on after everything is done. Cover up the floor and any furniture you can't take out with tarp or canvas, remember to wear old clothes, you will drip and it won't clean off, guaranteed. Then prime, let dry, and paint, let dry, and paint again. Rolling it on is fun and easy, just get it evenly coated and you're good. The worst part is the edging by hand. It's a little easier to do it evenly without streaks with a sponge brush than bristle. If you removed the trim you can avoid a lot of the work of edging by hand, especially if the room has crown moulding. Just get close enough to the edge with the roller, paint the trim while it's off too, and cover it back up with the molding after it's all done and dry.

[beanma]

I think the primer might be a good idea since you're covering such a bright blue, but you could just do a couple or three coats of your new color. I always "cut in" first and go around the edges/corner of the room with a small brush, then when you use your roller you can just roll to where you cut in. Your roller won't get in all the corners. You can tape off your trim to keep from painting over it. I usually throw a drop cloth over the big furniture and move the little stuff out. You can also clean up most drips on the floor or other finished/painted surfaces with an immediate swipe with a wet cloth/paper towel. If I'm not doing a huge job sometimes I just skip the taping and just wipe drips instead.

hth

[lunarlady]

I don't ever tape, but I use a high quality angled brush to edge the room by hand. That takes the longest. (But is faster than taping, and less drips in my experience).

You want to buy a good quality paint, as it will cover better and you will use less. Buy more than you think you need. I would buy a five gallon of the white, and one gallon of the pink. Larger sizes are cheeper per unit volume, and if you have a place to store the extra paint it is great to have on hand when your child decides to paint the wall with nail polish (or is that just my DD?) For example, I just painted DD closet (long story). A quart of paint was $10. A gallon (4 quarts) was $15. 5 gallons of the same paint goes for $45. Low/no VOC paint is a little more expensive, and doesn't cover as well, but also doesn't stink and is better health wise if you are planning to live in that room within a few days of painting. You can prime or not prime. I've done it both ways and find I prefer to just do an additional coat of regular paint. Primer is cheeper than paint, so that might be a consideration, but to me it is just another thing to buy.

Paints with a little shine (eggshell and up) are more forgiving and hide brush marks better than matte paint. Higher shine also equals better durablity and better washablity, which may be a consideration for you.

Fill holes with spackle. Sand if you can see where you filled. Don't worry about it if you can't. Dust the corners to remove cobwebs. Cover the floor with a dropcloth. Edge, then roll. Wait a few hours. Repeat. You may need three coats. Repeat if necessary. Remember to put all brushes and rollers in water after use. If the paint dries on them they are ruined and need replacing.

Totally smooth surfaces (like furnature) are harder to paint as they show brush marks more. Spray paint is a godsend if the peice isn't too large. If it is a large peice, you can usually rent a paint sprayer by the hour from most home improvement stores. If you can't afford that, make sure to buy a high quality bristle brush and work quickly so that you are not stroking the paint while it dries.

Good luck and happy painting!

[HeatherAtHome]

I suggest using primer, especially if you're going to a lighter colour. It saves on paint and the extra work of going over and over it later with your new paint colour. (I'm talking from experience, what a headache!)

I can't cut in and always tape. Yes, it takes longer but for me it saves on mess. Generally. If you do tape, take the time to get it nice and straight. (Again, speaking from experience)

If you want visual tips, try searching youtube for videos. We discovered the world of youtube home repairs when we were looking for instructions/tips on how to install a toilet. Everyone wants to be the next Mike Holmes!