How to Get the Smoothest Finish in Painting

Preparation

• 1

  Move all furniture, rugs, curtains and pictures out of the area you are going to paint. Cover the floor with a drop cloth, and use painter's tape to protect wall switches, sockets and the bases of any light fittings you cannot remove.

• 2

  Vacuum every surface you are going to paint using a brush attachment.

• 3

  Wash the surfaces with a solution of mild household dish detergent and warm water, using cleaning rags and a sponge mop. Refill the bucket and rinse the surfaces before leaving them to dry thoroughly.

• 4

  Examine each surface. Put filler into holes and cracks, and scrape off excess with a filler knife. Once the filler is completely dry, sand it level with the rest of the surface. Vacuum each sanded area to remove all traces of sanding dust.

• 5

  Apply a coat of water-based primer to the walls and ceiling being painted. Cut in at the top of the walls and ceiling edge using a 2-inch paintbrush. With a latex primer, you will achieve the best result by using a brush with synthetic bristles. Apply primer to the rest of the walls and ceiling using a lambswool roller with a 1/2-inch nap.

• 6

  Apply a coat of wood primer to all trim being painted. Use a small paintbrush. In the case of water-based primer (used when the top coat is going to be a latex paint for wood), apply with a synthetic brush. If you are applying oil-based primer (used when the top paint is oil based), apply with a natural bristle brush.

• 7

  Leave the primers to dry thoroughly before applying a second coat of each. Allow the areas you are painting to become completely dry. Lightly sand the wooden trim to create a key for paint to adhere. Vacuum to remove all sanding dust.

Painting

• 8

  Cut in around the ceiling edges with a latex paint using a 2-inch synthetic paintbrush. Apply paint to the rest of the ceiling with a 1/2-inch lambswool roller.

• 9

  Open the latex paint for the walls. Cut in around the top of the walls. To avoid getting this paint on to the ceiling, make the initial strokes a little ways under the join, and fill in using long strokes. This means you are not putting a fully loaded paintbrush against the freshly painted ceiling. Use the same technique to cut in around the trim, and apply paint to the rest of the walls with a 1/2-inch lambswool roller.

• 10

  Use a small natural paintbrush to apply oil paint to the trim, or a synthetic paintbrush to apply latex paint. Paint small sections at a time, and paint toward edges where one piece of trim meets another at an angle, rather than away from them. This means the paint in the brush is depleted by the time you reach the edge, and you are less likely to find paint runs on the angles.

• 11

  Allow everything to dry thoroughly.

• 12

  Lightly sand the wooden trim before applying a second coat of paint to each of the surfaces, using the same technique as before. Clean the brushes and rollers. Wash the brushes and rollers in a solution of warm water and mild household detergent. Thoroughly rinse them, then allow them to air dry before putting them away.

• 13

  Remove drop cloths, protective coverings and tape once the paint is completely dry. Thoroughly vacuum the entire area, and place everything you took out of the room back in position.