How to paint walls with your own hands: instructions for use

Choosing paint

To paint the walls with your own hands, you need (which is logical) first to choose paint. For painting interior rooms, water emulsion paint is ideal – acrylic, vinyl, latex, acrylic-vinyl, acrylic-latex. Water emulsion paint is well applied and dries quickly. The coating is resistant to mechanical stresses, it can be washed with water and soap solution.

Magnetic plaster MagnetPlaster or Rust-Oleum magnetic paint is good for creative corners, like magnetic marker surfaces (to draw with colored markers, to attach magnets). These coatings are environmentally friendly for interiors, easy to apply with a roller (plaster – trowel).

Paint Color

There are almost unlimited amounts of paints in different colors on the market, so it is not difficult to paint the wall with your own hands in the desired shade. And you can also take a white base and tint it to the desired color (if the type of paint allows it).

Choosing the tool

For plastering, you will need a trowel or trowel, for priming and painting – different types of rollers (with long and short pile, on a long and short handle). Some paints can be applied with a spray gun.

Also take a paint cuvette and work gloves. You may need sandpaper for small irregularities, masking tape, a brush to paint hard-to-reach areas.

What roller is better to use?

• For the first layer of water-based or other paint, a roller with a long pile is suitable.
• For the second coat, a roller with a short nap.
• For MagnetPaint – a roller with a short pile of 8 mm.
• For PaintforPros professional marker coatings – lint-free roller, short pile felt roller or short pile 4mm foam roller.
• For SketchPaint marker paint, a 4mm short pile roller.

Getting the walls ready

Painting a wall with your own hands is easy if you prepare them properly beforehand. Clean surfaces of dust and dirt, old wallpaper and layers of old paint. If necessary, plaster, cover with primer, that is, make the walls as smooth as possible and “adhere” to the paint.

To create a magnetic marker surface instead of regular plaster, you can immediately use magnetic plaster.

Painting the walls

Prepare all the tools. Open the can and stir the paint thoroughly. If necessary, dilute and color with the right pigment.
Pour the paint into the cuvette and start painting strictly horizontally or vertically. Use a paint roller with a long handle to easily reach high areas of the wall.

Allow the coat to dry (time depends on the type of paint). After drying, apply a second coat perpendicular to the first. If necessary, apply a third coat after drying.

Painting with magnetic marker paint

Prepare your tools. Highlight with painter’s tape the necessary area of the wall prepared in advance.

First, create a magnetic layer

If using plaster, apply it with a trowel or trowel to the wall. Allow the plaster to dry (24 hours). Approximate consumption is 1 liter per 1 m².

If using magnetic paint, paint with a roller on a primed wall in 3 coats 4 hours apart. Leave the final coat to dry for 24 hours. Approximate consumption is 1 liter 2 m² (3 coats).

Apply white marker paint on top of the magnetic layer. If you wan

t a different color, first apply the water based paint in the desired shade and then the clear marker paint.

If using a marker paint, open both cans, add the hardener (small can) to the base (large can), mix thoroughly and roll onto the wall within one hour of mixing. Apply a second coat after 4 hours if necessary. Leave to dry completely (5 days), then you can paint.

If using a professional highlighter, open the can, stir, pour into a tray and roll onto the wall. Allow to dry. You can paint after 24 hours.

How many coats should I apply?

Always follow the instructions. It is usually recommended to apply: water emulsion paint – in 2-3 layers, magnetic paint – in 3 layers, marker paint – in 1-2 layers, professional marker paint – in one layer.

Important! The 10 most common mistakes when painting the walls with your own hands.

1. Paint unprepared walls. Defects and irregularities will be visible and you will have to redo them anyway. This will be especially bad if glossy paint is used.
2. 2. Do not prime the walls before painting. You can get unevenly painted areas and you will definitely use much more paint than you would if you primed the walls first.
3. It is not a good idea to dilute paint like mineral spirits for water-based paint or water-based oil-based paint. Read the contents carefully to avoid confusion. Try not to dilute the paint unnecessarily, resort to this measure only if the paint has been stored for a long time and has become too thick.
4. Tint all the paint at once and paint without checking the color. You run the risk of ruining a lot of paint or painting the walls in a color that you didn’t plan at all. It is important to test – if you are adding a coloring pigment to a white base, start with a small container. Achieve the desired color and paint on a small inconspicuous area of the wall. If color comes out as planned, proceed to tint all paint and paint the walls.
5. Incorrect choice of tools, use “what is. Tools are not very expensive, so do not neglect to buy the right ones that you need. For example, if you use the wrong rollers – you risk not to paint, paint unevenly or get an overrun of paint.
6. Do not paint vertically/horizontally. Painting “as you can” can result in an unevenly painted wall with “broad painter’s strokes” after drying. Paint horizontally or vertically, without chaotic movement. If applying a second coat, use a perpendicular direction – for example, the first coat vertical, the second horizontal.
7. Apply as many coats as there is enough paint. Bad both ways – if there is a lot of paint, you will just apply unnecessary layers. Not enough – you won’t get enough paint. Look at the instructions and the results of the paint after the walls have dried. Leftover paint – just put it away for storage (if you can store it).
8. Hurry to apply the next coat and do not wait for the previous one to dry. Painting over a damp primer or an undried previous coat of paint can cause you to ruin the entire coat. Have patience. It’s better to wait than to redo.
9. Incorrectly calculate the right amount of paint. If you bought too much, just take the excess away for storage. It’s much worse if you bought not enough paint and it’s not enough per coat – the joint can be noticeable after it dries. So before repairing, calculate the amount of paint you need (look at the approximate consumption in the datasheet), use a primer so you don’t overspend, and take paint with a small margin.
10. Paint in all kinds of weather. It is important to consider humidity, room temperature, presence of sunlight, and general light exposure. In bad light you will not see possible defects, In direct sunlight, the paint may start to peel. The best option is humidity up to 80%, daylight without direct sunlight.