How to Paint Interior Walls and Ceilings

1. Prepare the room

Move all furniture, including rugs, into the centre of the room and cover with dust sheets. Put dust sheets or newspaper on the floor space beneath painting. It is best to tape newspaper down. Safely remove any light switch plates, door plates, window and door fittings and store somewhere safe with fixings.

2. Clean the Surface

First things first, the surface must be clean, grease-free, dry, sound and free from staining substances. Previously painted surfaces should be rubbed down and washed with water. Glossy surfaces should be rubbed down with sandpaper. Carefully reseal wallpaper seams and remove paste residues.

3. Filling and Sanding

Fill all holes, cracks and imperfections with a suitable filler before any paint products are applied. Choice of filler should be based on compatibility with the surface to be filled and with our paints, we offer a natural Wall Filler which works on all surfaces. Any and all sanding should be completed, and all dust removed, before you start painting. Where a significant proportion of the surface to be painted has been filled consider applying lining paper to provide a smooth and homogenous substrate to accept paint.

4. Priming

No need to prime previously painted surfaces, just make sure you have given this a good sand.

For absorbent surfaces such as fresh plaster, unpainted lining paper, surfaces with extensive areas of filler or surfaces of widely varying absorption (such as surfaces composed of a range of materials) apply one coat of Plaster Primer diluted 1:1 with water.

If you have a slightly less evenly finished wall, for example if some had been plastered or there were different colours or paint layers exposed, then you could also use our Grip Coat primer, which will give you a more even surface to then apply paint onto and it is thicker than plaster primer.

5. Painting

Stir the paint thoroughly or give it a good shake.We would recommending applying Emulsion by roller and cutting in with a brush. You can use a spray gun too, please find visit our technical sheets HERE for precise instructions. The paint may be thinned, if necessary, with up to 10% water.

NB: ALWAYS WORK TO A WET EDGE, including cutting-in which should not be carried out in advance. When using a roller to apply the paint, use a small roller over the brushed cutting-in to achieve a more even finish.

Recoat only when the previous coat is thoroughly dry after 4-6 hrs. Good ventilation improves drying times. Two coats of our emulsion paint is required. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Watch the video below for a quick run through of how to paint a wall with professional tips for Edward Bulmer himself!