How to Paint a Room: A Step-by-Step Guide

Before You Start: Calculate Your Materials

The biggest rookie mistake is buying too little (or too much) paint. Use our free paint calculator to work out exactly how many litres you need based on your room dimensions and the number of coats.

As a rough guide, 1 litre of emulsion covers about 12 square metres per coat. A standard 4 m x 3 m room with 2.4 m ceilings needs roughly 5–6 litres for two coats on walls only. Add another 2 litres if you are painting the ceiling.

Step 1: Prepare the Room

Good preparation accounts for 80% of a professional-looking finish. Start by removing furniture or moving it to the centre and covering it with dust sheets. Remove switch plates, outlet covers, and curtain fittings.

Fill any cracks or holes with a flexible filler and let it dry completely. Sand the filled areas smooth with 120-grit sandpaper, then wipe down all walls with a damp cloth to remove dust. If the walls are greasy (common in kitchens), wash them with sugar soap solution first.

Step 2: Tape and Protect

Apply painter's tape along skirting boards, door frames, window frames, and the ceiling line. Press the tape edges firmly to prevent paint bleeding underneath. Lay dust sheets on the floor, overlapping the skirting tape.

Step 3: Prime Where Needed

You do not always need a separate primer. Use one if you are painting over bare plaster, dark colours, stained areas, or switching from oil-based to water-based paint. A good multi-surface primer costs around EUR 15–25 for 2.5 litres and prevents issues like uneven absorption.

If you are only refreshing an existing light-coloured wall with a similar shade, you can skip this step and go straight to your topcoat.

Step 4: Cut In the Edges

Use a 50 mm angled brush to paint a 5–7 cm strip along all edges — ceiling line, corners, around outlets, and along tape lines. Work in sections of about 1 metre so the cut-in paint stays wet when you roll into it. This prevents visible lap marks.

Step 5: Roll the Walls

Load a medium-pile roller (10–12 mm nap for smooth walls) and roll in a "W" pattern, then fill in without lifting the roller. Work in sections roughly 1 m wide from top to bottom. Maintain a wet edge to avoid roller marks.

Apply a thin, even first coat. It will look patchy — that is normal. Wait the drying time specified on the tin (usually 2–4 hours for water-based emulsion) before applying the second coat. Two thin coats always beat one thick coat.

Step 6: Second Coat and Cleanup

Repeat the cut-in and rolling process for your second coat. Once dry, carefully remove painter's tape by pulling at a 45-degree angle. Rehang fittings, move furniture back, and step back to admire a professional finish achieved at a fraction of the contractor cost.

Wash brushes and rollers in warm soapy water immediately — dried paint ruins them. Store leftover paint in a cool, dry place with the tin sealed tightly.

Cost Breakdown

Item	Typical Cost (EUR)
Emulsion paint (5 L)	25–45
Primer (2.5 L)	15–25
Roller set + tray	8–15
Painter's tape (3 rolls)	6–10
Dust sheets	5–10
Filler + sandpaper	5–8
Total DIY cost	64–113

Compare this to professional painting at EUR 150–300 per room. Use our paint cost calculator for a more detailed estimate based on your room size.

Pro Tips

• Stir, don't shake your paint. Shaking introduces air bubbles that show up on the wall.
• Box your paint if using multiple tins of the same colour — pour them all into a large bucket and mix to avoid slight shade differences between batches.
• Paint in daylight so you can spot thin patches and drips before they dry.
• Keep a damp rag nearby to catch drips immediately.

Ready to plan your painting project? Try our paint calculator for instant material estimates and cost breakdowns.