How to Get the Perfect Paint Job on My Living Room Walls

Determine the color scheme of your paint job by looking over your furniture, decor and flooring. Get a handful of color chips from the local hardware store and hold them against the wall in daytime and at night to see how light affects the color. Buy a test quart of your chosen color and paint a small section of the wall to experiment before you commit to the color.

Rearrange furniture pieces away from the walls and cover them with drop clothes. Lay plastic drop cloths on the floor, taping them to the baseboards where the board meets the wall to prevent the dripping of paint on the floor.

Clear debris and dirt from the wall and begin applying a layer of primer. Use a high-hiding primer to paint a light color over a dark color and a tintable primer to paint a dark color over a light color. Apply the primer as you would paint, using a paint roller in open areas, and paintbrushes in smaller areas and around wood trim.

Paint in the correct order to ensure the best appearance when dry. If you are painting a wall, first paint a 2-inch strip along the areas where the wall meets the ceiling, woodwork and baseboards. To paint a ceiling, begin by painting the same size of strip along the ceiling where it meets the wall. When painting the floor, begin in the corner diagonal to the exit of the room.

Hold the paint brush near the base of the handle. Dip the brush halfway into the paint and tap excess paint off using the lip of the can. Avoid wiping the brush on the side of the can since this can cause the paint to spatter as the bristles move across the lip of the can. Brush the paint onto the wall lightly enough to bend the bristles, but do not apply too much pressure.

Begin using the paint roller when all edges of the wall are painted. Roll the roller back and forth in the paint tray slowly until evenly coated. Cover an area measuring two square feet by rolling the shape of the letter "N" onto the wall, according to the experts at paint manufacturer Sherwin Williams. Double back to fill in spaces and finish with light roller strokes in one direction. Do not press too hard because this can leave spots of heavier paint, which will become noticeable when the paint dries.