How to Paint a Living Room : Tips and Mistakes to Avoid

Most people spend a lot of time in their living rooms. This part of the house is often used for family time, for leisure or relaxation. In certain cases, it also doubles as a dining room. Therefore, it needs to be a place where everyone feels happy and comfortable. If such is not the case, it might be time for you to repaint your living room. 

Tired of your dull living room walls? Thinking about redecorating the room to give it a bit more style? RenoQuotes.com is here to help you learn the best tips on how to paint a living room.

3 tips on how to paint your living room

1) Choose your paint colours

The key to repainting any room is to approach your new task in a very methodical way. Start by choosing the type of paint and selecting the proper finish that will suit your needs. Your choices will differ according to the level of sheen and the amount of maintenance you're ready to put in to keep the walls looking nice and clean.

Next, you'll have to select paint colours. For some, this is the quickest step of all but for others, this can seem like an impossible choice to make. Among other criteria, your choice will depend on the kind of environment and the ambience you want to create. Pinterest is always a good source of inspiration.

2) Prepare the room

Before you start painting, make sure everything in the room is covered and any major obstacles are removed. Use plastic tarps to protect your furniture and your floors. Every surface that will be painted should be cleaned beforehand and holes or cracks should be fixed.

In addition to a paintbrush, you will also need other types of equipment such as rags, buckets and painting tape, to be used when you paint near baseboards, floors and the ceiling.

3) Apply the coat of primer and coats of paint

Using a primer before you paint is almost always a good idea. It will help to conceal any past coats of paint and will ensure a better level of adherence.

However, if the walls you are painting already have numerous coats of paint, it might make the wall coating too thick. When in doubt, check with a professional. You are now ready to start painting! One last tip: Always start by painting the angles and the edges before painting the larger surface.

Here are three other articles that are worth checking out if you want more advice for your paint project:

• How many coats of paint are necessary?

• Painting: how to cover dark colours!

• How to prepare for a house painting project

Mistakes that you should avoid when painting the living room walls

To ensure optimal results, the following aspects need to be taken into consideration when painting: Pay special attention to the state of your work surface. It needs to be perfectly clean and imperfections must be fixed before you start painting.

Piling on coats of paint is not a great idea. You're better off using primer and applying 1 or 2 coats of paint afterwards. Make sure you have the right amount of paint to cover the whole surface. You don't want to have too much or too little paint leftover. If the colour you chose is unique, stores will not take it back.

Try to avoid paint that contains ingredients which contribute to air pollution. In the past, people didn't pay attention to this aspect and people are still paying for those mistakes to this day (e.g. asbestos paint). 

Of course, in this day and age, regulations are much stronger than they used to be but certain types of paint are still better than others. Acrylic paint tends to be less toxic than other types. 

Painting can be an easy project and most people can complete this type of task. However, if you are looking for professional results, hiring an expert is the way to go. Not only will you save time, but your painter will also be able to give you advice in terms of colours, design and types of paint that will work best in your house.

Recap of the steps to paint a living room

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET A GENERAL IDEA OF HOW MUCH YOUR PAINTING PROJECT WILL COST? Test our cost estimator which calculates according to the room dimension and the number of colours.