Painting is one of the easiest ways to refresh a room. Whether saturating the walls with color, giving it a light wash, or opting for an accent wall, it can instantly transform the space. Coincidentally, it’s also at the forefront of some of the year’s top interior design trends, such as color drenching. Selecting a gorgeous new color is just the first step. Learning how to paint a room will be the difference between a Pinterest-worthy look and simply covering the walls in color.

Luckily, painting is DIY-friendly and doesn’t have to be a daunting task. A fresh coat isn’t permanent and easily allows for mistakes to be fixed. But with the proper steps in motion, you can avoid blunders before they occur. Before you go crazy with the season’s new alluring colors, it’s a good idea to have a guide. So, we’ve gathered everything you need to know to paint a room properly. With the right tools and tips, achieving a professional and alluring paint job is easier than ever. Keep reading to learn how to paint a room and get ready for a full-on transformation.

Create a Plan

Planning is an essential step for every home renovation project, and that goes tenfold for painting. Creating a plan helps you achieve your desired outcome and ensures you have all the necessary tools to complete the job. Start by thinking about how you want the room to look. Will the project cover just the walls, or will it include the ceiling? Should the baseboards and trim be a different color? These are just a few questions to consider when drafting up your plan.

Select a Shade

Choosing a paint color can quickly turn into a daunting and overwhelming task. Between swatch cards and fan decks, it can be hard to visualize the final result. That said, it’s best to start with the basics—think warm and cool color categories and accompanying undertones. After settling on shades that fit your project, head to your hardware store and pick up a few paint samples to take home and test. Make sure you try the samples on a few different walls to get a sense of how the color will look in the entire room.

Gather Your Tools

There are several tools you need aside from the paint itself to get the job done. It’s a good idea to make a list of the necessary items before heading to the store to make sure you have everything required for the project. Here are the essentials you don’t want to forget:

• Drop cloths
• Rags
• Painter’s tape
• Stir stick
• Paint tray
• Paint roller
• Sandpaper
• Putty knife

Prep the Walls

This step will save you time and money in the long run, so it shouldn’t be skipped. Using the painter’s tape, line the edges of the room’s corners, base, and moldings, as well as the window and door frames. The light switch and socket covers can be a tricky spot to maneuver around. If you can, it’s best to remove them before painting. However, you can also cover them with painter’s tape to keep them from being splashed with paint.

Once everything is taped off, it’s time for primer. A paint primer can help intensify the color of the paint, allowing you to achieve a more saturated look in fewer coats. It’s crucial when covering dark walls to ensure none of the original color bleeds through, but it can also be beneficial when painting white walls.

Painting the Room

With the plan in motion and the walls prepped, it’s time to begin painting. Start by working from the top of the wall, or ceilings if desired, and rolling down toward the base of the wall. Primer will help with saturation of the color, but it’s a good idea to plan for a few coats to get the most accurate shade. It’s also important to properly ventilate the room while you’re painting to keep fumes from accumulating in the space. Finally, be sure to give yourself enough time to paint the entire room thoroughly. Whether light and neutral or a deeply saturated shade, an admirable paint job takes time to achieve.