How to Paint a Wall super quick

I know that painting a wall sounds like a SUPER basic DIY project. And it is! But, like anything, as I’ve done this over and over again, I’ve learned how to get better and faster at it. So, I’m going to share my best tips! And my fails with painting walls (because, yes, I have learned some things the hard way too).

P.s. this is step two of my playroom makeover (step one was making the mood board). Adding paint seemed like a HUGE step after being on the drywall step for weeks. Here’s how the room looked pre-painting:

how to paint a wall super quick

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. P.s. I’m trying to build that page up, so if you’d subscribe, I’d really appreciate that!

SUPPLIES

white paint– Ultra Pure White in Eggshell (I use this same color and finish on all the trim and the walls in my house)
mint paint– Spring Reflection in Eggshell
Angled paint brush (buy the nice $8 one!)
Paint roller
Paint tray
Handy Paint pail
Tape (to cover outlets)
Wet Rag
Paint Stirrer
Screwdriver

step 1

Use the expensive paint. I know, I know- I personally LOVE to save money. But especially with non-white paint, it makes sense to buy the quality paint. Why? I only have to do one coat with the expensive paint. Also, I have to use less paint. So in the long run, you definitely save. Try it out, I promise you’ll definitely see a difference! I use the Marquee line from Behr.

Side note, with white paint, I always have to do two coats. I go with a pure white (with zero pigment in it) so it just doesn’t fully cover in one coat.

step 2

Start by stirring your paint super well. I know that sounds obvious, but do it! I skipped this step when I painted my whole house 5 years ago. It was awful- the paint was different finishes on different parts of the wall. It was so obvious!

step 3

Next, begin putting paint on the wall by rolling it on. I know that most recommendations are to cut in first, but I recently heard this tip from Jenny Komenda and it totally is a game changer! Roll as close as possible to the edge. This makes it so that you have to paint less with the paint brush (which saves a ton of time).

Also, work in 2’x2′ squares. Roll it on thick (but not so thick that it drips) and fill in that square. Make sure that as soon as your paint is not completely covering the wall, you dip in the roller into the paint. You might be getting more paint than you are used to, but this means you’ll have to do less coats. This is a great way to really save time!

step 4

And now, finish up that wall by cutting in! I used to tape EVERYWHERE, but as I’ve practiced, I’ve figured out how to cut out the taping step (which takes FOREVER). So now, I dip the paint brush into the paint. I then scrape off the paint at an angle. The goal is to only have paint on the tip with it angling up.

I put the paint brush on the wall and slowly and carefully I pull the paint brush down while I try to get as close to the corner as possible. If I accidentally color outside the lines, I use the wet rag to just wipe it off. You have to dip the paint brush a lot to get full coverage, and work slowly, but it is still faster than taping! Especially if the paint bleeds under the tape.

A note- I don’t have base boards up because they’ll be installed after the floors are put in (which will look best). Most people will need to cut in around their baseboards too.

after

I am so, so happy to have paint on these walls! It took me a few hours to get two coats of the white on the main walls and then 30 minutes to do the blue. And now it looks SO much closer to a real room. Tomorrow we lay floors- check back for that tutorial!

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