How to Paint a Room and Pick Colors for Walls and Baseboards

Visit your local paint supply store and choose a variety of color swatches, both for the wall color and for the baseboard color. Lean a color swatch you want on the baseboard on its top edge and then tape the wall colors to the wall so that the colors meet up where the wall surface meets up with the top edge of the baseboard. This will give you a simple idea of the effect of the combined colors. The common trend is to paint the baseboard white, framing in the darker colored wall, but there are no rules here. Intermix your color swatches to see if you would rather have the baseboard be a dark color and the wall a lighter one. Consider which colors match or complement the furniture you'll use to furnish the room and the carpet.

Choose a sheen once you've decided on the colors. Use a satin or semi-gloss sheen on the baseboard to make it easier to remove scuffs and then use a flat, eggshell or satin on the walls and ceiling. If the room you are painting is a kitchen or bathroom area with a higher level of traffic and humidity, use a satin or semi-gloss on the walls. Measure the wall height and length to determine the square footage so you know how much paint you'll need to purchase to do the job. Multiply height times length and that will give you the total square feet. Paint coverage varies depending on the sheen and quality of paint you purchase. If the room and baseboard you'll be painting has never been painted before, you need to buy an adequate supply of primer too.

Mask the floor off by running two-inch tape around the floor perimeter right next to the baseboard. Run your finger along the tape edge next to the baseboard, sticking the tape to the floor but leaving the outer edge of the tape loose. Lay plastic or cloth drop cloths on the floor and tuck the edges underneath the loose edge of tape and adhere the tape to the floor and drop with your fingers. Remove electrical outlet covers with a flat-head screwdriver as well as any hardware or light fixtures that will be in the way during painting. Move furniture out of the room if possible; otherwise place it in the center and cover it with a drop cloth or plastic.

Paint the baseboard with a 2-1/2" paintbrush. Wash out your paint brush and then use it to paint the wall and ceiling corners, painting at least six inches out from the corners. This is called "cutting in" the wall and ceiling and this allows you to roll the ceiling with a roller without having to smash the roller nap into the corners. Cut in the bottom of the wall along the top edge of the painted baseboard with the paintbrush, using the straight line of the base board as a guide.

Roll the ceiling and walls with a 12-inch roller, 1/2-inch nap and an extension pole. Insert a metal hanging bucket screen into the bucket. This will sit against the inside of the bucket and you can press the roller against it to adjust the amount of paint on the roller. Pour your wall paint into a five-gallon bucket and dip your roller into the paint and roll it off against the screen. Roll one roller-width from the top of the wall to the bottom of the wall at a time. Overlap the second pass an inch or two into the previous roller pass, blending the feathering created by uneven paint on the roller. Paint all walls and the ceiling. Allow the paint to dry. If you're satisfied with the look of one coat, remove the masking tape and replace electric covers and other light or hardware fixtures. Otherwise, apply a second coat and let dry.