After the paint has dried for at least 5 to 6 hours—or, ideally, overnight—use a utility knife to score around the edges of each pane, then pull off the rubbery masking membrane, as shown. Next, shut the windows, and reattach the window hardware, light fixtures, and electrical covers. Now remove the painter’s tape, rosin paper, and drop cloths. Latex paints don’t fully cure for one to two weeks, so clean the room slowly to avoid raising dust, and don’t rub or scrub the finish during that time.
How to Paint a Room in 13 Steps
What does it take and how much does it cost to paint a room? Watch our video and read our easy instructions on how to prep and paint like a pro.
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Ask This Old House’s Mauro Henrique, who has been the painting contractor on about a dozen This Old House TV projects, decided to help newlywed Rebecca Brown paint the walls of her house, coaching her through the steps of refreshing her dining room.
How do you professionally paint a room?
Henrique and Rebecca went over everything that needs to happen before painting starts, including how to pick the right sheen, and the best way to mask window glass. Then he showed her some nifty tricks of the trade for brushing and rolling that help the work go faster, look better, and last longer.
- Go top-of-the-line: Regardless of what paint brand you buy, Henrique says to choose the most expensive product in the line. That adds a few dollars per gallon, but better paint makes the job easier, yields better-looking results, and creates a longer-lasting finish.
- Get the right sheen: A coating’s ability to reflect light ranges from high gloss, the shiniest and most washable, to flat or matte, which has no luster and is tough to clean. High gloss is unforgiving to apply—every brushstroke is visible—so Henrique uses semigloss for trim, windows, and doors. Satin has a bit less luster and plenty of durability, making it a great choice for cabinetry. Low-sheen eggshell is Henrique’s pick for walls. Flats and mattes, while great at hiding imperfections, are more easily stained, scratched, and dinged; they’re best on ceilings.
- Check the VOCs: The volatile organic compounds in paint can cause headaches and respiratory irritation, and are known carcinogens. Paints off-gas most during application, and continue off-gassing for weeks afterward. That’s why Henrique prefers paints with zero or low VOCs—50 grams per liter or less.
- Primer/Paint: “The whole industry is shifting to combination primer and paint,” says Mauro. “That’s a good thing, since a lot of people skip the primer, and the combination is better than nothing.” Still, for an unfinished or problem surface, he always uses a stand-alone primer. And if he’ll be using a dark paint, he tints the primer with about 80% of the paint color to ensure that two topcoats will do the job.
How much does it cost to paint a room per square foot?
When it comes to painting walls, expect to pay about $3 to $4 dollars per square foot.
Shown: Painting contractor Mauro Henrique uses a brush to apply color to window trim in a room which also served as a classroom for him to teach proper prep and application techniques on a recent Ask TOH TV episode.
paint-order
The paint-order CSS property lets you control the order in which the fill and stroke (and painting markers) of text content and shapes are drawn.
/* Normal */ paint-order: normal; /* Single values */ paint-order: stroke; /* draw the stroke first, then fill and markers */ paint-order: markers; /* draw the markers first, then fill and stroke */ /* Multiple values */ paint-order: stroke fill; /* draw the stroke first, then the fill, then the markers */ paint-order: markers stroke fill; /* draw markers, then stroke, then fill */ /* Global values */ paint-order: inherit; paint-order: initial; paint-order: revert; paint-order: revert-layer; paint-order: unset;
If no value is specified, the default paint order is fill , stroke , markers .
When one value is specified, that one is painted first, followed by the other two in their default order relative to one another. When two values are specified, they will be painted in the order they are specified in, followed by the unspecified one.
Note: In the case of this property, markers are only appropriate when drawing SVG shapes involving the use of the marker-* properties (e.g. marker-start ) and element. They do not apply to HTML text, so in that case, you can only determine the order of stroke and fill .
Values
Paint the different items in normal paint order.
stroke , fill , markers
Specify some or all of these values in the order you want them to be painted in.
Formal definition
| Initial value | normal |
|---|---|
| Applies to | text elements |
| Inherited | yes |
| Computed value | as specified |
| Animation type | discrete |
paint-order =
normal |
[ fill || stroke || markers ]
