In order to paint a room properly, you should know how to paint a wall properly. Walls should be seen as a single job that you don't stop at until it's completed. A wall where the painting has been stopped and started tend to have a lot of interesting paint lines unless extra work and coats are applied.
Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint can be had at many paint sellers and I suggest you use it instead of the standard noxious stuff. Your heart and lungs will thank you. Hey, you can even advertise it as a bonus – “interior repainted in low-VOC paint”.
Today you can get low VOC paint in all kinds of colors, but I usually recommend light, bright and cheerful. While you might think that dark purple is dramatic, home buyers won't necessarily think so. You might see it as lush and opulent; potential buyers will feel like they've been squeezed into a plum. Pick something banal; your next home is where you can go wild with shocking pink.
Buy good brushes; they won't disintegrate into a pile of bristles stuck to your freshly painted wall. However, roller covers are not so cranky; even the cheap ones will keep happily rolling on paint. Other things that will make your life easier are painter's throws, sandpaper, spackle, caulk, thinner, primer, gloves, and a gallon of hand moisturizer, which will protect your hands and make it easier to wash up afterward.
Cover everything. This is an excellent time to stage the room – the less stuff in the room the better. Cover everything else with the painter's throws. Tape the throws to the tops of baseboards, around window frames, door handles and electrical outlets. Especially the electrical outlets – digging paint out of a plugin is not fun.
Sand the whole wall. Yeah, I know that it takes a while you think would be better spent on painting, but it will make the paint adhere better to the wall and remove dirt that the paint will not stick to. Oh yeah, spackle holes before you sand. Don't forget to blow off the sanding dust before you whip out the paint can.
Follow the directions for primer, paint, thinner, etc. The friendly employee in the paint shop will be able to give you some pointers for ensuring a smooth mixture.
Ceiling-wall-trim. That's the order that you should paint in. Cut in with at least 2 inches of paint around trim, electrical outlets. More on corners, so you're not jamming the roller in, trying to make up for a shoddy cutting job. Once you've finished cutting in, roll that paint on that wall and your job should be finished pretty quickly. Make sure that there are no small bits uncovered. Wait for the wall to dry and examine it to see if it needs another coat.
There! You're pretty much done. Of course, there are the other walls in the room to do… and the other rooms… but hey, you've done this one! Pat yourself on the back (and get moving!)
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