Is your interior in need of a serious repaint? A fresh lick of paint can truly transform a space, taking it from drab to absolutely fabulous in just a few hours! But, like any DIY project, if you don’t know where to begin, it can feel quite overwhelming - especially if you’ve never painted before! From what to buy, how much to purchase and the right tools and application techniques to get the job done - we’ve got you covered with these top five DIY painting tips.
First though, you need to create a plan. Decide which room you want to paint to begin with, and then take the necessary steps to declutter it so that you’ve got an easy space to work in. Watch our How To Start Painting Video here
TIP 1: WHAT TYPES OF PAINT AND HOW MUCH YOU’LL NEEDOur first DIY painting tip is to understand what types of paints work best in which areas.
Start with the ceiling
Our advice is to paint the ceilings first. This allows you to effectively cover the surface with at least two coats while not having to worry about any over-spray (the effect of excess paint being sprayed onto the walls) by the roller.
Ceiling paint has a flat finish which is the preferred finish for a ceiling. We recommend Krysler Ceiling Paint or Haymes Expressions Ceiling White
Painting the walls
We recommend a low sheen paint for interior walls. Not only is it very easy to apply but it is also very durable. In addition it is washable which means you can easily wipe marks off.
Low sheen wall paint such as Krysler Premium Low Sheen is a great option for bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchens and living areas.
How much paint you will need
When DIY painting you want to ensure you do two coats. Four litres will generally be enough for a standard sized room. Ten litres will do a couple of bedrooms and maybe a smaller room or a large living area and one bedroom. As a general rule of thumb, four litres will cover up to 50 square metres, and ten litres will cover up to 120 square metres.
Krysler Premium Low Sheen Acrylic
TIP 2: THE BEST TOOLS TO GET THE JOB DONEThe tools you choose to use when DIY painting will either make or break your final result. There are different types of brushes and rollers suited for different areas.
The soft bristles and the angled cut of the brush will allow for a good flow of paint, and make it easier to cut in against edges.
Microcover rollers are great because they leave no fluff behind. The ones we recommend are made in Australia with Italian fibre. They come in 10 or 15mm.
Mohair rollers have a much lower pile (4mm) which makes them great for semi gloss and full gloss. They allow for a much smoother finish making them ideal for trim and door painting.
From left to right: synthetic cutting in brush, microcover rollers, and mohair rollers
TIP 3: HOW TO CHOOSE A COLOUR SCHEMEOur next DIY painting tip is all about choosing colour. When it comes to colour selection, you need to remember that colour is subjective and therefore you don’t necessarily have to follow theories of design or what's on trend. The key is to choose a colour scheme which embraces you when you walk through the door.
We know it can be hard, but you want to resist the temptation to select your paint colour first. It’s best to start your search with room elements that are less flexible, such as furniture, tiles, or wallpaper and then based on those you can choose your paint colours. Here are some ideas on how to narrow down choosing colours for your home.
Find inspiration from an image or item you love
Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration when choosing colour. Once you’ve found something, you want to take note of the shades within the design, especially the proportions of each shade to recreate a similar colour scheme in your home.
Consider colour value
A colour value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a colour. A balanced colour scheme will aim to incorporate one dark colour, one light colour and one bright colour in each room. By having a mix of different colour values, you avoid picking hues that clash with each other.
Consider how light affects colours
Remember that colour is a reflection of light so when choosing colour for your home you need to consider how light will affect it. A room’s truest colours are found in daylight, and this is because it has nearly uniform intensity over the entire visible spectrum of colours.
Modern striped wallpaper paired with mustard, chocolate and blush tones.
TIP 4: THE BEST WAY TO SAMPLE COLOURYour home is a combination of all the rooms and spaces, so when choosing colour for each room you need to consider how it will look overall within your home. The best way to do this is by sampling colour.
Our next DIY painting tip is to buy a sample pot (which is the actual paint) rather than a whole bunch of tiny little colour swatches. Colour swatches do not give you an accurate representation of what the colour will look like.
Furthermore we suggest that you paint the sample colour on a large piece of cardboard, rather than small patches on the wall. This colour sampling technique will allow you to move the colour around your house to see where it works best.
TIP 5: ASK THE EXPERTS FOR ADVICE
The best DIY painting tip we can give you is to get advice from those who know what they’re doing. Here at Crockers we’ve got over 65 years experience in paint and wallpapering and we’re more than happy to take you through the step-by-step process of DIY painting.
Or if you feel like this job may be a bit much for you, then we can also recommend one of our trusted tradesmen to get the job done.