I am a person who enjoys creativity, be it enjoying somebody else’s work or being creative myself and so it's quite common to find me doodling in one corner of a book or attempting to sketch a chic French model (which quite often turns out looking like someone else whom I wasn’t planning on drawing) or developing a story from some ridiculously random thought I had in the shower or getting crafty trying out certain DIYs, etc, etc...
So it's been a while since this idea of painting my room found its place in my head. And so like everybody else, I did a bit of research online (turns out “a bit” wasn’t sufficient) on what color would suit my room, how much paint I'll need, what tools I'll need, and even watched a few YouTube videos on “how to paint a room” and all that. I ended up getting myself an off-white shade called Raindrop and another nude shade (which I don’t know how to describe) called Apricot (if my memory is correct). As for the tools, I got:
2 brushes: a 4” and a 1”,
a 7” roller brush,
a scrapper,
sandpaper,
spackling paste,
masking tape.
Tip number 1: Always prep your room properly
Prepping the room to be painted on, is very crucial (and obviously, I realized that only “after” I started painting). Clear the room first. Take all that furniture out of the room. If that isn’t possible, cover all the furniture with a plastic sheet/waste cloth. And also (VERY IMPORTANT), cover the floor with plastic sheets unless you want to scrape all that paint off the floor once the painting is done. Even out the tiny paint blisters/bumps using sandpaper.
Tip number 2: Be generous but gentle with the spackling paste
I used spackling paste to fill in nail holes and even out uneven surfaces. Filling in a small nail hole isn’t tedious, but a larger unevenness like a chunk of cement fallen off the wall can be tricky to fill. The idea is to pack in the paste into the hole/dent possibly in one go (otherwise it could get a little messy). If there is excess product pushing out the sides, you can scrap it off. Try filling smaller holes first so that you get the hang of it to move on to larger ones.
Tip number 3: Don’t push the roller brush
Don’t try to put more pressure on the roller brush while painting thinking that it will help to give out more product off the brush(No, it doesn’t work that way, trust me). Doing so can produce uneven paint strokes on the wall which you’ll then have to cover up during the next coat.
Tip number 4: Wait for the paint to dry
Wait patiently for your first coat to dry to paint the next coat (unless you are not going for a second coat). Painting a second coat before the first coat has fully dried can make the paint clumpy and flakey which you don’t want. Take a break once you painted the first coat and give it about an hour or two before moving on to coat two.
Tip number 5: Masking tape is a lifesaver
Use masking tape where ever necessary. I thought I could do it without the tape (how presuming of myself) and still get a clean edge but ended up having to go back again with the tape and paint again. Who knew a tape could make everything so easy.
So yeah, these are some of the tips which I learned the hard way. Hopefully, you guys who are willing to paint your room doesn’t end up doing the same silly mistakes :)
Outie 5000!
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