Painting, start to finish

Mood

Do you want the room calm and tranquil, or dramatic and intimate? Soft, cool colours usually feel quieter; stronger colours create drama.

Function

A sociable kitchen or a formal dining room? Warmer, brighter and contrasting colours feel friendly; deeper blues, greens and neutrals feel more formal. Rooms you pass through, like halls and cloakrooms, can take a bolder choice.

Space

Warm colours (red, orange, yellow) seem to come towards you; cool colours (green, blue, lilac) recede. Use that to change the feel of a room’s shape.

Start small

Nervous about colour? Try it in a small room or on one wall first. You’ll see the result sooner and can change it more easily.

Flow

Think about how colours meet between rooms, especially if doors stay open. Let neighbouring colours harmonise or contrast, and give them a similar weight: a deep blue next to a pale pink feels unbalanced; softer shades of both flow.

Paint a large sample

Paint a big sheet of thin card rather than a small patch on the wall, so you can move it around.

Put it on the wall

Hold it upright on each wall you’ll paint, not flat on a table: colour changes with the light falling on it.

Look all day

Check it in the morning, the afternoon and under lamps, once it’s fully dry.

Look with your things

See it next to your fabrics, curtains, door frames, flooring and furniture. Then order your paint with confidence.

Measure each wall

Width × height for each wall, then add them up. For a ceiling, length × width of the room.

Take off doors and windows

Measure the big openings and subtract them. Leave small ones in: a little extra is useful for touching up.

Multiply by the coats

Two coats for most jobs. Darker and stronger colours, or a big change of colour, may need a third.

Divide by the coverage

Use the table below, then round up to the tins you need.

Clear the space

Move out as much furniture as you can. Gather anything that has to stay in the middle of the room and cover it with dust sheets.

Inspect and repair

Look for cracks, chips and peeling paint: they will show through the finish. Fill holes, smooth them with a filling knife and let the filler dry.

Sand

Sand filler, flaky plaster and peeling edges smooth with fine paper, so the colour sits on an even surface.

Clean

Wipe the walls with mild soap and water, rinse with a damp sponge and let them dry fully. The surface must be clean and free of dust, grease and loose flakes.

Prime what needs it

New plaster, lining paper, bare wood and metal, and powdery surfaces need a primer. Which one depends on the surface: see the table below.

Mask the edges

Run painter’s tape along trims, skirtings and fittings for crisp, clean lines.

Clear up

Vacuum the dust from your preparation before you open a tin.

Prepare

Make sure the surface is clean, dry and free from dust, grease and anything loose.

Stir

Stir the primer thoroughly before you start.

Apply

Use a brush or roller. If it needs thinning, add no more than 10% water.

Let it dry

Wall Primer and Multi-Surface Primer are ready to paint over in 3 to 4 hours. Stabilising Primer is touch dry in 3 to 4 hours, depending on temperature and humidity.

Paint

Apply two coats of your Mylands paint for the full depth of colour.

Stir well

Stir the paint thoroughly before you start, and again if you stop for a while.

Check the conditions

Paint between 8°C and 30°C, never in extremes. Paint dries more slowly in cool or humid rooms.

Cut in

Brush a band of paint along the ceiling line, corners, skirting and around fittings first.

Roll

Roll the open wall in sections, keeping a wet edge so the coats blend without lap marks.

Second coat

Recoat after 3 to 4 hours. Two coats give the full depth of colour; darker and stronger colours may need a third.

Clean up

Wash brushes and rollers straight after use in warm water with a little detergent.

Straight away

Wash brushes and rollers as soon as you finish, in warm water with a little mild detergent.

Until it runs clear

Work the paint out of the bristles or the roller until the water runs clear.

Rinse and reshape

Rinse well, reshape your brushes and let them dry naturally.

Don’t let it dry

Paint left to dry on your tools spoils the finish next time.