What Are You Painting?

A room? A fireplace? A piece of furniture? A hall, stairs and landing? Over wallpaper? This section tells you exactly how to go about it. You'll find advice on "cutting in" in the Walls section.

Firstly, many people ask about the order in which they should paint a room. Easy...

1. Ceiling

2. Walls

3. Woodwork

Secondly, a number of searches are asking about the best type of paint to use, for instance, to paint the stairs. Please check Types of Paint for details on the various types of paint - both Oil based and Water based.

Thirdly, lots of people are asking about "cutting-in" over a stairwell where it's high and much more difficult. The Hall, Stairs and Landing section gives all the advice you need BUT... ceilings don't have to be white nor do they have to be a different colour to the walls.

There are many terrific off-white colours which blend walls and ceilings seamlessly and which obviate the need for cutting-in. Simply use a long-handled mini-roller attached to an extension pole to paint the edges of the ceiling area then roll the rest of the ceiling and walls as normal. If necessary, this can be done from the ground if working from a ladder is a problem.

Click on the links below for a detailed description of each heading...

By the way... Walls includes advice on "Cutting In", and Woodwork includes advice on "Laying Off" plus Doors, Door Frames, Skirting Boards, Picture Rails, Dado Rails, Windows