How to Paint the Same Wall Varying Shades

Protect the flooring in the room by spreading tarps over it, making sure they reach all the way to the baseboards of the wall. Next, apply painter's tape to all trim work and molding that you are not painting.

Fill a bucket with 1 gallon of water and 1 tsp. of liquid dish sop. Saturate a nonabrasive sponge in the soap solution and squeeze it out thoroughly. Wipe all of the wall surfaces to remove dust, which may interfere with the paint. Wait until the walls dry before proceeding.

Draw pencil lines on the wall to designate where you will alter the paint color. Use a tape measure and straightedge to ensure that the lines are straight. For example, to divide the room in half horizontally, measure the distance between the floor and ceiling and divide it by two. Measure up from the floor to the same distance and mark it. Create additional marks around the room's perimeter, and connect them with the straightedge.

Place strips of painter's tape on each pencil line. Press the tape down firmly with a plastic putty knife to seal the edges.

Open the first color of paint and insert a paintbrush into it. Paint a 3-inch-wide strip around the top and bottom of the wall and along the edge of the tape in the center of the wall. Pour the remainder of the paint in a paint tray and apply it to the wall evenly, using a paint roller.

Wait until the paint dries, and then apply a second coat of the same color.

Remove the tape from the wall. Place a fresh piece of painter's tape over the painted area you just finished, again pressing it firmly with the putty knife.

Paint the opposite side of the wall, using the same technique you used to paint the first section.