How to Paint an NFL Theme Room

Choose your design. Unless you are painting the entire room one solid color, your design may require a little preparation before paint even touches the walls. Plan out exactly how you want the room to look; to avoid mistakes, you can write the paint colors on different sections of the wall in pencil.

Purchase paint in the appropriate colors. Some hardware stores are now offering NFL-licensed team colors. Other stores should be able to match a color taken from your favorite jersey. Test the paint on the walls to make sure it is exactly what you are looking for.

Clean your walls. Using soapy water and a soft sponge, carefully clean the walls. Dirty walls make it more difficult for paint to adhere and can leave unsightly lumps or fuzz in your wet paint. Allow the walls to dry completely before beginning.

Delineate lines and areas of different colors with painter’s tape. If you are adding stripes or patterns to your wall, use a roll of painter’s tape to outline your areas. When applied after careful measurement, painter’s tape prevents the colors from bleeding through and gives you straight clean lines.

Fill your rolling tray with paint and start painting. As an inevitable step in redecorating any room, many people have experience with painting. For the uninitiated, dip your roller into the reservoir of the tray, then roll it back and forth a few times across the textured area of the tray to spread the paint on the entire circumference of the roller and remove any excess paint. Paint should be applied to the walls in long strokes from a roller completely covered in (but not dripping with) paint. Clean the tray and roller between colors.

Allow your paint to dry completely. You may be required to allow different areas of paint to dry before painting the next area, particularly if you are painting stripes. Take your time and don’t rush the job. It may take a weekend to finish the room while allowing the paint to dry but it will take a lot longer to prime the walls and start over if your paint bleeds and mixes because you were impatient.

Remove your painter’s tape once the paint is completely dry. Slowly, and with even pressure, pull the tape from the wall. Use a utility knife or razor blade to cut areas where the tape is pulling the paint away from the wall.

Apply decals or add stencils. If you are adding a wall decal, simply plan where it will be placed and, beginning at the top, press it against the wall, working your way down and avoiding air bubbles by pressing from the center toward the edges. For a stencil, use masking tape to hold the stencil in place. Fill a sponge brush with craft paint and use short strokes to press the brush into the stencil area. When the paint has dried completely, untape the stencil form.