Changing the colour of your interior walls can totally transform the mood and appearance of your home. Whether your walls are looking a little tired or you just fancy a change, a fresh lick of paint will do the trick.
While the paint colour steals all the spotlight, the application itself is just as important. Here we'll show you how to paint walls in a few easy steps along with expert advice on technique, your must-have products, and common panting mistakes to avoid and how to fix them.
Watch our guided video or read on to learn more.
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Removes excess paint from rollers prior to cleaning with handy paint tin opener included.
Before you start painting, spend some time preparing your surface. Set yourself off to a great start with a little cleaning, sanding and masking to achieve a seamless base for your topcoat. Check out our handy guide to preparing your walls for painting here.
Finding your perfect shade is easy with our colour chips and sample pots. We have a variety of colour cards showcasing our core colour collections, designed to make choosing individual colours and combinations as easy as possible.
Whether it's a cool or warm shade, neutral or contrasting, our sample pots can be tinted to any of the Tikkurila colours. Or if you have a specific colour in mind, we also colour-match.
Request your complimentary materials today.
Now it’s time to find the best paint for your chosen colour. Whether you’re refreshing your bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom – our interior paint product guide will help you make the right product choice.
Let’s work out how much paint is needed to finish your painting project. By calculating how much you need beforehand, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and effort. The amount of paint you’ll need depends on the number of coats you’re using. For beautiful deep colour, we recommend using two coats of our Optiva paint.
Measure the width and height of your walls and use our Paint Calculator to get an accurate number in seconds.
PREPARE
Don't grab your roller just yet! Before you start painting, some groundwork is necessary. Our step-by-step guide to preparing your walls for painting will show you what to do to make sure your painting project is a success. Follow it here.
STIR
Use a wooden paint stick to stir your paint. If you skip this step you may end up applying separated ingredients of the paint to the surface, compromising the colour.
PAINT EDGES
Start with the paintbrush first. Dip it 1/3 into the paint and wipe any excess paint to the edge of the paint container. Apply the paint along the edges of the wall in smooth strokes, and holding the brush like a pencil, move from top to bottom. Next, feather out the wet edges by dragging the tips of the brush bristles gently over the painted lines to thin out the paint and remove any buildup.
POUR
Now it's time for the roller. Pour your paint into the roller tray and load the roller evenly.
PAINT
Apply paint with the roller by rolling onto the surface in a v-shape for ample coverage and to spread the paint evenly. Work the paint evenly across the whole surface ensuring that a wet edge is maintained to avoid picture-framing. You can read more about picture-framing below. Allow 4 hours for the paint to dry. You can minimise drying time by keeping your work area well-ventilated. Simply open your windows and switch on a fan.
SECOND COAT
Once the wall is dry to the touch, it's time to apply your second coat. Use the exact same technique as you did with your first coat.
REMOVE TAPE
Remove the masking tape from the edges and enjoy your new colour!
CLEAN
Now that the hard part is done, it's time to clean your tools. Use our tool cleaner as soon as you finish painting to preserve your painting equipment for future use. Use the roller cleaner under running water to remove excess paint from your roller. Next, check if all paint splatters are dry on the protective sheet, and if so, remove the sheet from all furniture and the floor.
To ensure a stress-free painting experience, it’s good to familiarise yourself with some common paint problems that are easily avoidable.
Blistering - it occurs when the paint loses its adhesion to the base coat because of painting on a damp or hot surface. To avoid blistering, make sure your surface is clean and thoroughly dried before painting. How to fix it? Remove the blisters by sanding them down and once the area is smooth, use a primer before applying your topcoat.
Picture framing – it occurs when a build-up of paint applied around the edges of the surface leaves a darker border and is not blending with the paint applied in the mid-section, resembling the frame of a picture. It can be easily avoided by working the product evenly across the whole surface ensuring that a wet edge is maintained when rolling over the paint applied with a brush.
Read more about common problems here.
