How to Paint Rooms

Are you interested in painting a room in your house and not sure where to get started? We will get you started here with all the hacks you'll need to know. Be inspired by new projects, join the discussion board, and ask a question. You can even check out a slideshow on room painting. You got this. Happy painting!

How To Paint a Ceiling Like a Professional

Paint a Room Like a Pro

Protect the room from paint: Cover anything you don't want to get paint on, such as furniture and the floor. Use a plastic sheet, a canvas drop cloth, or both.
Prep the walls for the new paint: Use a trisodium phosphate cleaner and clean the walls with a sponge to rid it of any dirt.
Don’t run out of paint: One gallon of paint will cover approximately 400 sq ft. Measure the room to figure out how much paint you’ll need for the entire room.
Strain your paint: No one wants to see small chunks or strands of hard paint on their wall. Strain your paint before you begin to prevent this.
Work from the top down: Start by painting the ceiling before moving onto the walls. Finally, finish by painting the trim.

More painting categories

Top DIY Room Painting Projects

Are you painting a room in your house? Here are the top room painting projects.

Painting a straight line next to the trim trick

How to make a straight line up against the trim with your wall paint.

Peace Painting Co., Inc.

So I Painted Our Ugly Linoleum....

I saw a this picture on Joanna Gaines' IG a few months back and I had major heart eyes over this floor, but replacing the tile in our guest bathroom wasn't/isn't an option for us. Fast forward to last month and I was still drooling over this tile so I did what any reasonable person would do - I went on Pinterest. I looked at more floors and the caption on one of them caught my eye.... "The Girl Who Painted her Tile...WHAT?!" I found myself on Remington Avenue's blog and then the next thing I know I am at Hobby Lobby buying paint! I looked at their stencils too but our linoleum was 12x12 and I didn't find any big enough there so I ended up ordering one online through cuttingedgestencils.com. I followed the steps on Mysha's blog but did a few things differently/use a few different products so I thought I'd share my experience with you.

Susanna | Livin' The Life Of Riley

Painting a straight line at the ceiling trick

How pros don't use tape.

Peace Painting Co., Inc.

How to Create a Statement Ceiling Using Mandala Stencils

In the video above, Cutting Edge Stencils will provide you with all the details you need to know about how to stencil a statement ceiling. Pinterest has shown us all the possibilities of what you can do to make your ceiling stand out from the others. You can make a statement with just one bold color or you can take your statement ceiling to the next level with a stencils for painting! Statement ceilings range from geometric, tropical, floral, mural, tile etc. In this specific video, we are going to show you how to stencil a multicolor mandala around a light fixture in under an hour!

Cutting Edge Stencils

DIY Whitewash Plank Wall

What I loved about doing this wall feature, was there was no wrong way (amen!). We were going for a rustic, natural, and imperfect feel so I really had fun with this one. When it was time to paint, I played around with color combinations then chose the look I preferred!DIY Whitewash WallMaterials for Wall:- Nail gun and nails - we used 2 inch nails- Stud finder- Tongue and Groove Pine Boards - you can choose to have these cut to the exact length of your walls like we did, or if you want more lines you can cut each board to different lengths.- Jigsaw- TrimMaterials for Whitewashing:- White Paint - we used SW Super Paint velvet in Alabaster- Paint Brush- Container to mix in - We did 5 cups Alabaster: 1 cup water- Spray bottle with water- Dry Cloth- Drop ClothInstalling your boards:Nail your boards to the wall - Using our stud finder we found the studs in the wall, and drew a line down each stud to show us where to nail. We chose not to use liquid nails for this project, so this was an important step. Starting at the very top of your wall use your level to make sure the very first board is perfectly straight. This board is the most important of them all, as it will set your line for your wall! Once your board is level using your nail gun, nail your boards into the studs. Because all of our boards were cut to the length of the wall we simply followed this method for the entire wall until we reached the outlets. We then measured out our outlets, and used the jigsaw to cut around these. And that was it! Our nails were so small that we didn't even need to patch and caulk, especially because we were going for a rustic, natural feel. This was a HUGE time saver!Add trim - We chose to trim out the wall feature, but it definitely isn't a must. We simply measured the height of our wall, cut the trim down, and nailed it right in. Easy, easy! And done, we had our wall feature. Now it was time to whitewash!DIY Whitewash:A few notes before we get started. Installing the tongue and groove boards to the wall was definitely the easier half of this project. The whitewashing is not difficult, but it is time-consuming and takes a bit of playing around with to get it exactly how you want. Don't be discouraged, but I don't want to pretend that it was the fastest moving, mindless thing either! And remember, like I said before there is no perfect way to do this. Play around with it, and get it exactly how YOU love it!Choose your paint - I love SW Alabaster so it was a no brainer that I would go with this color for the walls. I chose their Super Paint because it is not as thick (or expensive) as their top of the line paints, and I was going to be watering it down anyways.Mix up your paint - This is the most important part! I started with 2 cups Alabaster to 1 cup water, and mixed it really well. Wow that makes a lot of paint! I would recommend using smaller amounts while you are coming up with your mixture...lesson learned! The second I applied it to the pine boards, we knew it was way way lighter than we were after. I simply added another 1 cup of paint to my mixture, so now I was at 3 cups Alabaster to 1 cup water. I applied it to another spot on my pine boards, and knew I was getting closer but still not as dark as we wanted. Finally, I ended up with 5 cups Alabaster to 1 cup water. And we LOVED it. It was exactly as we envisioned. It dries quite a bit differently than it goes on, so I would recommend testing out different mixtures, letting them dry and then picking your favorite. Again go with what you love! Every type of wood will take the paint differently, so play around with it and choose what most fits your taste. Apply your mixture - Before applying your paint, lay down a drop cloth. Because your paint is watered down, I highly recommend this step! Next, using your paint brush, apply the paint with the grain. This will allow the texture of the boards to really show through. I had planned on rubbing off the paint with a dry cloth in sections, but as I went along brushing with the grain I loved the look of it! So I ended up only rubbing off when I felt the paint was going on too thick. I also had a small spray bottle of water that I would squirt onto the wall when I needed the paint to thin out a bit. This really helped me achieve an even coat across all the boards.Stand back and admire - Let your first coat dry, and see if it is the look you want. I had planned on putting on a second coat, but after letting it dry it was exactly the look we were going for (woo, because mama was tired!). You also could go back and use a dry brush technique (dip your paint brush in paint then wipe most of it off) to add more texture to your wall. We love that the knots and natural veins of the pine boards show through and didn't want to take away from that! So we stopped at one coat!This whitewash wall is everything I hoped it would be and more! Now this room is such a soothing, relaxing sanctuary. I love the rustic tone it sets for the rest of the room. For all the sources and more details visit:http://www.farmhouseblooms.com/weekly-blooms-whitewashed-wall-nursery/

Farmhouseblooms.com

Learn to Do a German Smear

Always wanted a brick wall in your home ? If you're like me and have always wanted one, but are not so keen on the price for real brick veneer, take a look at how plain, faux brick panels become aged and antiqued to create a focal point for any room. Learn to do a German Smear at Recaptured Charm.

Recaptured Charm

China Hutch Makeover With Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

Did you know you can achieve a non chippy look with milk paint? I painted my 80's oak china cabinet and turned it into one of my most favorite pieces of furniture in our home. I love a good ole diy!

Courtney Killpack

Texture and Layering | Painting Technique

I needed to make a new door, look old. Really old. The only dilemma was the underlying "new" door surface. I couldn't simply paint and distress. The look had to be achieved mostly with paint.

MyAlteredState

Personalized Tie-Dye Pillow Cases With Acrylic Paint

Create personalized tie-dye pillowcases with acrylic paint and school glue. A safe, fun and inexpensive way to "tie-dye" with kids and create unique pillow cases and matching pajamas!! Watch our video below for full instructions. Make sure to activate the English subtitles.Visit and Subscribe to the "Shaun & Kyra YouTube Channel" for more craft ideas! https://www.youtube.com/c/ShaunandKyraThank you & happy crafting!

Shaun & Kyra

Faux Brick Wall

Transform a plain wall into a brick one that will LOOK and FEEL like old brick! First, I painted the wall with a shade of gray paint. Any sheen is fine, as long as the color is similar to grout. A quick coat of paint is all you need.

Wendy at myfrenchtwist.com

Painting a straight line next to the trim trick

How to make a straight line up against the trim with your wall paint.

Peace Painting Co., Inc.

So I Painted Our Ugly Linoleum....

Susanna | Livin' The Life Of Riley

Painting a straight line at the ceiling trick

How pros don't use tape.

Peace Painting Co., Inc.

China Hutch Makeover With Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

Did you know you can achieve a non chippy look with milk paint? I painted my 80's oak china cabinet and turned it into one of my most favorite pieces of furniture in our home. I love a good ole diy!

Courtney Killpack

Texture and Layering | Painting Technique

I needed to make a new door, look old. Really old. The only dilemma was the underlying "new" door surface. I couldn't simply paint and distress. The look had to be achieved mostly with paint.

MyAlteredState

Personalized Tie-Dye Pillow Cases With Acrylic Paint

Shaun & Kyra

Faux Brick Wall

Wendy at myfrenchtwist.com

Need ideas to help you paint a room in your house? Check out these slideshows.

Room Painting Videos

Watch DIY room painting videos to get some direction for your own project.

How to Distress and Finish Wood Beams in 3 Steps

Wood beams add a great design element to any room. Ceiling design is a perfect addition to add in a room that needs some pizazz or elevated design. They are also super versatile to different styles. They can compliment mid century modern, French country, traditional, modern farmhouse, etc. In this post we are going to show you how to beautifully finish wood beams using pine.

JH Wall Paints

A Paint Expert Shares Her Secrets to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets Like

Learn how to transform you kitchen and bath cabinetry in a few coats of paint, using our amazing, All IN ONE, Heritage Collection,NO PREP, NO PRIME, NO WAX, Paints!This easy to use, Low VOC's, water based paint is like No Othe Paint! it is self leveling and dries to a beautiful, low luster matte, durable finish with requiring a top coat or sealer! You can virtually paint your kitchen, furniture, etc. in a couple of coats of paint. Never has this simple paint process been possible until NOW! Get the Chalk Style look and soft,velvety feel of a hand rubbed and timeless beauty seen on Pinterest using this product. In addition to the Heritage Collection Paints we offer:Our Antiquing Gel Medium is also available to age and distress the finish, if you so desire. This product will enhance the look and add dimension to details of your finished piece. The product is easy to work with and has a 12 hour open time, allowing you time to accomplish your desired look. 12 colors to choose from as well as Cabinet Kits and Furniture Kits, all at a great value, including our Syntec Chalk Painting Brush! Products are sold online and participating Do It Best retailers nation wide. See our map to find a local retailer displaying the Heritage Collection products near you TODAY!

Heirloom Traditions Paint

Simple Ideas to Distress Wood - Get Worm Holes, Wire Brush, Etc!

Distressing is "in" right now! Farmhouse, shabby chic and even modern styles of design are incorporating distressing of wood into the style of a room. This short 5-minute video will demonstrate how to distress wood for finishing using simple tools you can make or inexpensive things to buy!Techniques include creating worm holes, wire brushing and other distressing forms for wood. Distressing is a popular technique used in Restoration Hardware furniture and other exclusive brands.

JH Wall Paints

How to Stencil Textured Walls With Embossing Roller & Gold Leaf

Nothing gets us going like some stenciled style and creativity! With stencils, the sky is the limit and the wall is your canvas to create, mix, and layer to your fancy. You can even use a variety of wall finishes to create one magnificent look! Here’s one that we’d love to show you how to do yourself: Customize your wall treatments the affordable way, with rich texture painted any color you like and gilded pattern accents. Click play and watch this DIY stencil tutorial to see how to create this wall finish using Royal Design Studio Wall Stencils, embossing rollers, and gold leaf…

Royal Design Studio

Hometalkers' Favorite DIY Room Painting Projects

Here you'll find the best room painting projects on the web today.

Tips for Painting an Exposed Basement Ceiling

We didn't have a drop ceiling in our basement, and we weren't about to spend the money to put one in. So what we had was an exposed beam basement ceiling that was all wood, ducts, pipes, cords, and so on. What it needed, in my opinion was a good paint with a decent paint sprayer. Painting the exposed beam ceiling with a light color made all the difference in this basement.

Amy Ellis @ StowandTellU

How To Paint Your Counters

I recently used some primer and craft paint to transform my plain, old counters to resemble faux stone! I am so happy with my new look and it was so much cheaper than buying new! Visit my blog post for more pictures and in depth tutorial on how you can do this too!

Days of Chalk and Chocolate

How To Paint Baseboards WITHOUT Getting Paint On Your Carpet

I've finally learned the secret of painting your baseboards and NOT getting paint onto your carpeting. It's a bit time consuming, but so worth it!

Theredpaintedcottage

How to Age Wood (almost Instantly)

I love the look of aged wood, and I use a lot of it in my projects. However, there are times when I need a certain size, or in this case, a certain something (a clothespin) that I don’t have in my pile of beat up old lumber. I wanted to make a flour sack pillow, and I saw a nifty way to finish it off at Funky Junk Interiors by simply tying it off with jute cord, and adding a clothespin that seems to hold the bag closed. Really cute! But, I needed a clothespin, and a brand new one with a shiny new hinge was simply not going to work for my project. So, back to the clothes pin issue… I went and got a bag of new clothes pins, and simply dipped them in “magic juice” and once they dried, I had old, rusty clothespins to use on my pillow. And what is magic juice you ask?

Cori Warner

Small Kitchen Magical Makeover

This whole project started because I bought a cornflower blue stand mixer! I was planning on doing a massive renovation in a few years by expanding the kitchen into the back yard. I figured I was looking at tens of thousands to do so and I was trying to save up for it. I'm so happy with how this project turned out, now I can save that money for another project!

Kendall K.

Herringbone Pattern Accent Wall

My kitchen was very ho-hum and boring, so I decided to spice up a little corner of it with a cute herringbone accent wall! It took some time and patience, but I love the interest that it adds. http://www.thriftyandchic.com/2014/05/painted-herringbone-accent-wall-with.html

Thrifty and Chic

Tips for Painting an Exposed Basement Ceiling

Amy Ellis @ StowandTellU

How To Paint Your Counters

Days of Chalk and Chocolate

How To Paint Baseboards WITHOUT Getting Paint On Your Carpet

I've finally learned the secret of painting your baseboards and NOT getting paint onto your carpeting. It's a bit time consuming, but so worth it!

Theredpaintedcottage

How to Age Wood (almost Instantly)

Cori Warner

Small Kitchen Magical Makeover

Kendall K.

Herringbone Pattern Accent Wall

Thrifty and Chic

Popular Room Painting Discussions

Here are the popular discussions happening right now on the topic of room painting.

Paint that will hide a wall's sins

/> Dee

I have plaster wall with many dings/cracks/etc. I have scraped and patched a bunch but I know that once I prime, the blemishes are going to scream at me. I'm not a pro patcher but have tried to get the walls as smooth as I can. Dies anyone know of a paint/a technique/anything that I can topcoat on over the primer that'll help hide blemishes?

View discussion

Why is the paint peeling off all of my interior doors?

/> Kimberlee Bell Griffin

We bought our house 2 years ago, it was built in the early nineties. I think the previous owner re-painted all of the doors a "whiter" glossy paint. The paint just flakes off with the scrap of a finger nail! I tried sanding but it is difficult removing from all of the grooves. What can I do? If I repaint will it continue to flake?Avoid peeling paint!With some prep work you can avoid peeling paint using this Kliz primer that Amazon reviewers swear by!

Why is the paint peeling off all of my interior doors?

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How to redo walls and cabinets in my mobile home..

/> Kimberly Nicole Owen

I'm wanting to remove the strips that are on the walls of my mobile home and repaint the cabinets. I've attempted to redo my bathroom and had a HORRIBLE time putty-ing/sanding and painting wall after strips were removed. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong but you can see the whole line of where I putty-ed even though its smooth and even with wall!! (After 2 coats of paint and primer too!!) Any help would be great!! Also what is the best and easiest way to repaint the fake wood cabinets?? Thank you!!!

How to redo walls and cabinets in my mobile home..

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Can you add polyurethane to flat interior paint to get the gloss look?

/> Vickie Burniett

We have 5 gallons of flat interior paint that we would like to turn into a semi gloss with out having to spend the money to get another 5 gallons of paint. My husband said that there is a water based polyurethane out on the market, so we were wanting to know if we could just add a little to the paint to get a glossy shine to it .Best semi-gloss paint!Freshen up your walls with Diamond Brite paint that Amazon reviewers swear by!

View discussion

New Room Painting Projects

Searching for what's hot and trending in room painting? Look no further.

Black & White Striped Ceiling

When you grow out of your little girl room and it’s time for a big girl room, what do you do?

Cheryl Phan

Pickle Your Pine to Lighten and Brighten

My country home is filled with natural wood. Knotty pine has aged to golden hues. White and bright is trendy now, and I'd like to lighten up, but I prefer to keep a light touch on solid paint on permanent pieces. Not solid white, but a more subtle effect of stain with a bit of paint in it, protected with a coat of poly .I have restored a few historic homes which included labor-intensive, lung-damaging stripping of layers of misbegotten paint over beautifully aged wood. So I feel this effect is a good compromise.I love texture and natural elements far more than smooth paint and plastics. I'm bending my purist tastes, struggling to keep a balance. So I am introducing clean crisp whites with bold splashes of color, while keeping lots of texture and authenticity. Mix and match. And here's where I'm at this week.

Adele Kurtz

Painted Chair With Unicorn Spit

Redoing my living room. This chair did not look good with new design, but it was comfortable. I had bought Unicorn Spit back when it first came out. Had used it on wood and now wanted to use it on fabric...So I plunged in. It was so easy. 1 day for primer and drying and 3 hours next day for painting. Next day for Scotchgard 3M sealing. Should have done more research on YouTube..Painting Fabric. and unicornspit.com

Kandy Scott

How to Paint That Old Grooved Wood Paneling

We had a house with that old 1960's wood panelling. You know - that horrid stuff with the grooves? Here's how we totally updated it, brightened up our house AND save a bunch of money!NOTE: The $700 cost was for the ENTIRE HOUSE.

Annie

Textured Ceiling Makeover

Farmhouse Inspired – Ceiling MakeoverGot an ugly textured ceiling? Need an easy and budget friendly way to update? Here is an inexpensive way to update a textured or popcorn ceiling without breaking the bank.Tools: Nail Gun, Chop Saw, Table saw (or circular saw), Safety Goggles, Billed Hat, Mask, 4 ft. Level, Pencil, Stud Finder, Floor Scraper or Putty Knife.Learn from my mistakes. Wear eye protection and a billed hat at all times. I got a piece of the ceiling embedded in my eye and it took a long time to get it out. OUCH!Supplies: Underlayment Board cut into strips by Home Depot, 2” nails and your Favorite Shabby Paints Color.I had Home Depot cut 4×8 sheets of Tri Ply Underlayment (around $11.00 a sheet) into 6 equal size planks this should give you around 8” x 8’ planks.Cost: Under $100.00 for a 12×12 room.Tip: Since I was doing the ceiling solo, I used a chop saw to cut all my boards in 4-foot pieces so they would be more manageable.Prep: * Warning check for asbestos!Start by scraping any large texture pieces or chunks with a putty knife or my favorite a floor scraper. Knock anything off that would prevent a flat install.Mark your rafters. A good stud finder is key. Use your Level and pencil to mark across the entire room.Install: Start in the corner being sure to get nails into your rafters. Keep the pattern random like you would a planked floor.Paint: I used a roller to apply one coat of Shabby Paints Tiffany then used a Shabby Applicator Sponge to do a White Wash with diluted Snow White.Tip: I recommend measuring and verifying that you will not end up having to cut the last board less than ½ of the boards width. If it measures out that you would, I would rip the first board to make it end right.Tip 2: A jigsaw is great for cutting around light fixtures.

Shabby Paints

Faux Painted Barn/shed Door for Closet

I wanted a barn door but the walls here, double wide, won't support the weight. I decided this morning to paint one on my hollow core closet door. I am not a painter but I love to play. I grabbed some scrap wood to estimate the width of the boards and drew the lines on with a sharpie. I shaded in the lines and dirt spots with the sharpie. I then used gray paint to add dimension to these spots. Did a light white wash and then an off white wash over the top. The cross piece is crooked because I didn't measure and I was painting on my kitchen counter. Oh well I think an old door would be crooked too. Before. The ugly hollow core door. First step was TSP, two coats of primer and two coats of white.