So you’re thinking of repainting a room in your home and you want to do it yourself. You’ve never tried painting before and, understandably, you don’t know where to begin. Right off the bat, congratulations! Your willingness to learn and try something new is already commendable. And don’t worry, the Let It B blog is here for you. Welcome to your beginner-friendly guide to repainting!

This step-by-step guide will give you the basic procedure for repainting an interior concrete surface—say, for instance, a wall in your bedroom or living room. There can be a lot more that goes into repainting (you’ll see what I mean later on), but for now, this should give you a good overview and starting point. Ready? Let’s paint!

Step 1:  Examine Your Wall

The first thing you have to do is to take a good look at the wall or room you want to repaint. You need to check if the paint is still in good condition. This would mean it’s free from common paint problems like peeling, chalking, blistering, and mildew (find a more comprehensive list here).

Simply put, proceed to step 2 if the wall resembles what it looked like the last time it was freshly painted, perhaps just a bit dusty and dirty now. Otherwise, if you do see signs of paint problems, it will have to be fixed first before you can repaint. For those new to home painting, it’s best to consult with a professional on what to do with a troubled wall before continuing on with your repainting project especially since some paint problems are not as straightforward to solve as scraping off the old paint.

Boysen Beginner's Guide: How to Repaint a Room | MyBoysen

Step 2:  Pick Your Paint Wisely

You probably already have a color in mind for your walls (if not, find color inspiration here). But, unfortunately, picking a paint can to buy isn’t as simple as choosing a color.

A.  Paint Compatibility

Your chosen paint should be compatible with both the surface you’re applying it on—in this case, concrete—and the type of paint already on your walls. For this project, your safest bets would be Boysen Permacoat, Boysen Healthy Home, and Virtuoso Silk Touch which all come in a range of readily available colors. These are made to be applied on concrete and drywall, and they’re a type of paint (water-based acrylic to be exact) that can be applied over most other types of paint.

Take note, bad paint compatibility will lead to a host of other problems. When in doubt, always consult with a professional.

B.  Primer for a Lighter Color Over a Darker One

If your chosen color is lighter than your existing paint color, you will also need paint primer such as the Boysen Permacoat Flat Latex B-701 (read up on primers here). It comes in white and is applied before the topcoat (a.k.a. your chosen color) to ensure your old color will not be seen through your new one.

Boysen Beginner's Guide: How to Repaint a Room | MyBoysen

Step 3:  Prep Your Wall for Repainting

Now that you know your walls are in good condition for repainting and you have carefully chosen your can of paint, the next step is to do prep work. The aim is to have a smooth, clean wall for the new layer of paint to go on. Here’s what you have to do:

  • Wipe the walls clean to remove dust and dirt. Use water and mild detergent if necessary
  • Lightly sand the walls to help ensure your new paint adheres to the surface. Then, wipe away the sanding dust
  • For minor imperfections such as hairline cracks, apply putty to the area such as the Boysen Masonry B-7311 (read up on putty here). After the putty has dried, sand where you puttied so the surface is even. Wipe away the sanding dust

You’re almost ready to start painting. On to the next step!

Step 4:  Set Boundaries

Repainting a room can get messy. You want to lessen the chaos and be as neat as possible. Here’s what to do:

  • Clear out, move away, or cover the furniture in the room. Think of it this way: It’s less of a hassle than having to remove paint stains on your coffee table
  • With painter’s tape (masking tape can also work), cover wall sockets and light switches
  • Apply tape to wall edges such as where the wall meets the ceiling or if there are adjacent walls you don’t want to get paint on
  • Take scrap cardboard (as newspapers tend to tear and move around) and lay it on the floor space where you will be painting making sure to tape it down as well

And, you’re ready to paint!

Boysen Beginner's Guide: How to Repaint a Room | MyBoysen

Step 5: Finally, Repaint!

You’ve made it! It’s finally time to paint. Before anything else, if you’ve chosen a lighter color or shade from the one currently on your wall, you’ll need to apply primer first (see step 2 of this guide). You’ll be in the clear to apply your topcoat once your primer is dry.

To apply paint, for both primer and topcoat, start by painting the edges along your painter’s tape using a paint brush. Then with a paint roller, roll the paint onto your wall in an “M pattern”— that’s as if you were writing big, thin letter Ms on your wall. (Check out this video to see how it’s done.)

A second, or even third, coat of paint is often necessary to get your wall as good-looking as possible. It should say on your paint can how many hours you will have to wait before the paint is dry enough for you to apply another coating. Remember to remove the painter’s tape when the paint still feels just a little bit wet. Then, all that’s left is to clean up and wait for your wall to completely dry!

Good luck! You got this! If you want to grow your painting know-how even more, the Painting Tips section of Let It B is a great place for it. And, if you have any painting questions or inquiries about Boysen products, our technical team will be happy to assist you. Send an email to ask@myboysen.com or call (02) 8363-9738 local 413 to 418 during office hours for a one-on-one consultation.

Author

Jill is a writer on a continuous journey to learn about paint and share them with you, the reader. She has an interest in the technical side of things but also thoroughly enjoys playing with colors. She likes calm greens, quiet blues, and mellow yellows best.

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