How to paint the interior of your house

Here are step by step details for painting the interior of your house.

You can get professional results when painting your own interior walls. Read on for step by step instructions.

1. Remove all the hardware in the room. Take down all decorations and then scan the walls for any nails or pins, remove these. Take off the electrical outlet covers, you should turn off the circuit breakers before you do this. I soak the covers in a cleaning solution while I am painting to get two jobs done at once.

2. Wash the walls to remove any dirt and dust. Paint will not stick very well to dust so it is important to have them cleaned. Also vacuum the carpet.

3. Use painter's tape to tape around anything that should not be painted. The tape with sheets of plastic attached are the best because they will completely cover the areas you don't want to be painted. Put a drop clothe down over the entire carpet especially if you are painting the ceiling.

4. Fill in any holes in the wall with spackle. Put some spackle on a spackle knife and spread over the hole several times. It will dry to a white chalky color. Sand it so that none of the spackle is sticking out from the wall, but is only filling the hole. You may want to dab on primer using feathery strokes all around the hole.

5. Caulk any areas that need to be caulked. Keep your finger on the release button so that when you let go the flow will stop. Fill in any area that needs to be caulked and then take a small damp sponge and run it over the area to give it a clean look. You should wait at least twelve hours before you paint over any caulking to allow proper drying time.

6. It is a good idea to pour your paint into another container. When using a brush you will want to fill a paint pail only about an inch deep, so that it won't spill. When using the rollers only fill the tray about a third full.

7. Use a brush to paint next to the floor boards, edges, ceiling and corners. Use a small chiseled brush. With a slow steady hand you should be able to paint these areas without getting paint on your floor boards or ceiling, though it may take some practice.

8. Now use the roller to get the wall. Don't put too much paint on it or you will end up with areas of heavy paint deposits. Begin by making an "M" on the wall. Then run back over the same area several times. One roller full of paint should cover about four square feet of space. If you are changing the color of the paint you should give the room two coats for the most professional look. You will also want to do the same thing with the ceiling.

9. Now paint the floor boards and any trim. You may want to use an edger, which looks something like a big long spackle knife, to protect your newly painted wall.