"I am planning to refresh my apartment by changing the color of the walls. There is only one problem: I am not a painter :) How to choose the right paint and color? Brush or roller - what are their advantages and disadvantages? How to prepare for it? How to paint the walls?"

Painting is a long process, but with careful preparation and self-painting, you will be able to save a large amount of money. I recently repainted a few rooms in my house. It was not a difficult task, and I will gladly share my experience with you.

The most important tasks when painting walls:

1. Choose the right colors

Properly selected colors and application of paint on various surfaces will affect the comfort of using the apartment or house. You can try to combine colors, which will help to achieve harmony within the home. In order to properly match the colors to your rooms, you can download testers, i.e. containers with a small amount of paint, or use a room arrangement program.

1. Prepare the right tools

In order to properly go through the painting process, you will need to have some necessary tools such as: frame and roller insert; litter box; brush; ground. sandpaper; painting foil; painter's soap; sponge; masking tape; filler (putty, putty or gypsum); spatula; brush. Of course, it all depends on what you will have to do before painting. The above-mentioned tools will be needed for a general renovation of the room and, for example, smoothing the walls or leveling the surface.

1. What paint to paint?

There are a number of paints available on the market depending on your needs. You will use a different one when painting peace, and a different one when refreshing the bathroom. Popular types of paint are:

a) acrylic - contain acrylic or polyacrylic resins. They are one of the most popular paints. They can be used on any surface, but it is better to avoid the kitchen or bathroom. They adhere well to the ground and dry quickly.

b) latex - used most often in the kitchen and bathroom. Abrasion resistant and easy to remove dirt. They do not absorb moisture.

c) vinyl - very durable paints, dry quickly and are easy to use. The biggest disadvantage is fast abrasion.

1. Buy as much paint as you need to paint

It's not worth buying paints. Before you start painting, try to calculate how many square meters of walls and ceilings you will want to renovate. Try to buy large packages of paint, which is more economical and in the case of single and small packages.

How to paint walls?

1, Secure the room you will be painting properly

In order not to have to clean the furniture in the room, cover it with painting foil. Separate the floor, thresholds, window and door frames with painter's tape. If you are going to paint the ceiling with a different paint, separate it with tape as well. Remove all hanging objects and move furniture, and if possible, remove them from the room.

1. Preparing the wall for painting

If necessary, smooth the walls and sand them before painting. Fill any scratches, cracks or holes with putty. After completing these works, run your hand over the surface. If you notice remnants of the old paint pigment on the leather, it will be necessary to use a primer. Otherwise, it is enough to use water with the addition of painter's soap and wash the wall.

1. Protecting the wall with soil

A very important aspect of painting that many amateurs forget. The primer insulates and properly protects the wall base before applying one coat of paint. It also ensures good bonding of the paint with the substrate, thanks to which there will be no chafing or chipping on the wall.

4, Divide the walls into painting zones

If you paint the room in different shades, separate the individual fragments using a laser meter and a pencil.

1. Choose the right brushes or rollers. When to use a brush and when a roller?

The most important difference between the two tools is that the brush is more precise, and when painting with a roller, you will paint more efficiently and reduce the risk of leaving streaks.

When buying a brush, you will have a choice of natural or synthetic bristles. The first type is resistant to bends and creases and spreads paint well. The downside is that it absorbs water and loses bristles. The second type is more flexible and does not absorb solvents, ideal for water-based paints. A brush will apply paint to plaster and rough surfaces better than a roller.

When choosing a roller, you must choose a product made of plastic or natural. The purpose for paints is the same as for brushes.

In the end, it's best to have both items on hand, because depending on where you're painting, sometimes a brush or a roller will work better.

5. Preparation of the paint

Currently, most paints on the market are ready to be applied after purchase. The paint package should be gently opened and mixed with a special stick or spatula. Then choose the appropriate size of the cuvette, brush and roller in relation to the size of the wall.

1. Painting

There are a few things to keep in mind when starting painting:

a) When painting the ceiling: always start by the window or door if there are no windows. Direct the tool from top to bottom, and apply the next layers of paint on top of the previous ones while they are still wet. Thanks to this, they will overlap and the surface will be painted evenly.

B) When painting walls - start painting. Change from hard to reach, i.e. corners. Then move on to painting a larger area. As with the ceiling, brush or roller movements should be directed from top to bottom and slightly tilted side to side.

1. Take breaks between layers

2. Remove the painter's tape - be sure to do this shortly after applying the last coat. If you do this, after the paint is completely dry, unsightly lines will appear.

9, Gently roll up the protective film

1. Clean the room well

If you do not make the following mistakes and choose the equipment correctly, you will be fine and you will be able to paint the rooms. Check out the manual on YT. Me and my brother-in-law painted like this.

Here are the most common mistakes when applying a new color to the walls: • inappropriate paint for a given substrate - ie paint intended for refreshing the facade can be used for painting house rooms. • Covering the substrate too early - occurrence of cracks and swelling of the coating. • If the substrate is not primed - the paint will chip off. • Tinting the paint - fading of the coating, different shades of paint in several places. • Stains. • Incorrectly selected equipment - a roller with too long pile leaves a visible texture on a smooth wall, a roller with a short pile will not evenly cover the surface of rough walls. • Too strong dilution of the paint with water - the paint will not cover the colored surface, drips and flows, it is not resistant to scrubbing.

Recently I was doing a renovation myself, so I can boast of what I learned :)

1. Plan well what you want to achieve and NECESSARY consult it with your other half, so that it does not turn out later that you have to do everything all over again. It is not without reason that in the paint departments there is often a joking inscription "Men who want to buy paint are required to show written permission from their wife" :)

2. Buy what you need:

- Painter's soap - Primer - Foil and masking tape - Roller + trough - Set of brushes

Now how to use it :)

1. Remove from the room all unnecessary things that you do not want to get dirty, including furniture. If you can't/don't want to take your furniture, cover it with painter's foil.
2. Lay painter's film all over the floor
3. If you have paint chips, start by using a spatula and pick up anything that comes off, along with air bubbles - this will eliminate the paint from falling off
4. Mix painter's soap with water and wash the walls. An ordinary sponge is enough for this - it will take away all the dust and dirt, because of which the paint may not want to adhere to the wall.
5. Prime the wall - this involves pouring the soil into the trough and washing the wall with it. You can do it with a rolling pin. This will make the paint stick even more.
6. Use painter's tape to protect anything you don't want to paint with the current color - e.g. a socket, socket, window sill, or a wall you want to paint with a different color. If you do, you'll splash the tape, not those things (which, believe me, will happen many times) and then, instead of cleaning the thing, you can just peel the tape off at the end, along with the paint.
7. Paint the walls "roughly" - Here I recommend using a roller, because it speeds up the work. Just remember to squeeze it on the tray to reduce splashing. Paint from top to bottom to catch any falling drops. Keep a small distance from anything you don't want to paint. You'll deal with that later.
8. Finish painting difficult places with a brush - you should have several so that you can choose the size depending on the place.
9. Wait for the paint to dry and, if necessary, repeat points 7 and 8 until you get the desired effect.
10. Clean up and enjoy :)

It is worth wearing a hat and gloves while painting so that the paint does not fall on your skin and hair. In addition, have a bowl of soapy water with you to quickly wipe away any stray drops of paint that fall where they are not needed.