Which Room Should You Paint First?

Interior paint jobs can seem overwhelming especially if you plan to paint several rooms at once. 

How long it takes to paint an entire home varies from house to house, but expect to devote a considerable amount of time for preparation, cleaning, and painting if you are tackling several rooms at once.

If you are painting an unoccupied home, then you have the option to prep and paint rooms in whatever order makes the most sense. If you are living in the home, it’s usually best to start with one room rather than trying to prep and paint multiple rooms at once. The mess will be contained in one area and make living with a large DIY painting project easier to handle.

Deciding on Which Room to Start Painting

Which room you decide to start with is largely a matter of personal preference but here are a few things to consider if you are planning to paint several rooms in your home:

Living Areas

Living rooms or great rooms are often a good place to begin. Many homeowners like to set a color scheme for their home and the living room is generally the room that does that. A whole house color scheme is simply a selection of colors that are used in varying amounts to provide a cohesive look throughout a home. Following a few designer tips can make choosing colors for your home an easier process.

The Kitchen

For many, the kitchen is the heart of the home and it’s also the room that often receives the most use and needs a fresh coat of paint quicker than others. If you have an open concept kitchen and living area, you likely treat them as one area but it doesn’t have to be painted one continuous color. There are a variety of online tools designed to help homeowners visualize how different color combinations will look in a single room or in several connected spaces. 

Bedrooms

The master bedroom is another place where many homeowners decide to start. It’s nice to have bedrooms painted first to ensure that you and your family have a peaceful escape from the rest of the home while it’s being worked on. Since children’s bedrooms are often relatively small, they can be completed quickly and ensure that young children have a safe place to play while adults are painting other areas in the home. 

If you are painting in preparation for putting your home on the market, there are other factors to consider. Real estate professionals recommend updating the paint in kitchens, bathrooms, and main living areas because these are the areas homebuyers focus on the most. Updating any faded or worn interior spaces with a fresh coat of neutral paint will attract more buyers and make your home more marketable.

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DIY or Hire a Professional?

Applying a couple of coats of paint in a small bedroom may be a reasonable DIY weekend project. Painting an entire home is a project that will require significant time, additional tools and supplies, and experience to successfully complete. Consider the following factors when deciding whether to DIY or hire a professional for your next painting project:

• Safety Concerns – High vaulted ceilings are common in many homes and are dangerous for most DIYers to tackle on their own. If a room requires scaffolding, extension ladders, and safety equipment, hire a professional crew to paint that area of your home. They’ll have the right equipment and training to complete the job safely and efficiently.
• Surface Conditions – If a remodeling contractor has left smoothly finished drywall, prep work is minimal and painting can begin. But if your walls need a lot of scraping, spackling, sanding, and priming, the same-size project may take twice as long. Professional painters are experts at making these types of repairs and will ensure that surfaces are properly prepped before any paint is applied.
• Big Color Changes – Repainting with a similar color rarely requires more than spot priming and a finish coat. If you are changing from a dark color to a light neutral, expect to prime and then apply at least 2 coats of paint. Consult with a professional before attempting to make big color changes on your own. They’ll be able to tell you exactly how to prime and paint in order to get the best results.
• Degree of Difficulty – Painting walls with a roller is pretty easy for most DIYers. Ceilings and trim are usually far more difficult and time-consuming. Rooms with wide baseboards, built-in cabinetry, or elaborate trim around windows and ceilings demand more time and expertise. A lot of trim means a lot of brushwork and that is best done by professional painters.

Preparation, repairs, and clean-up all take a significant amount of time and energy. The size of the spaces being painted, the condition of the home, and the skill of the people completing the work all impact the outcome of any DIY project. Professional painters make it look easy because they have the training, experience, and tools to achieve high-quality, long-lasting results.

Walla Painting is a locally owned business that specializes in residential painting. Our fully insured, bonded, and skilled painters are equipped to handle any size project. We are proud to have received Angie’s List Super Service Award 10 years in a row for our customer service and detailed workmanship.

We are here to serve Carmel, Westfield, Zionsville, Noblesville, Fishers, and McCordville homeowners. We offer residential interior and exterior painting, as well as cabinet and trim painting. Contact us online or at (317) 620-0695 for a free estimate.