Choose your painting styles.
Your paint is mixed and your roller is ready, but make sure to prepare your approach before you start. Begin with the ceilings and work your way down from there. Are you planning a striking focus wall? Paint the adjacent light-colored walls first. “Don’t worry if you get paint on your accent wall; the black paint will cover up any lighter paint that made its way there. After the lighter wall cures, Colaneri and Carrino recommend taping off the edge to prevent the dark color from bleeding onto your fresh paint. If you’re painting dark walls with a brighter color, you’ll need three coats: one of primer and two of the new color to guarantee nothing shows through.
Address one wall at a time. Take a brush and “cut in”—paint along the molding and corners from top to bottom—while your painting partner uses a roller to cover the majority of the wall, avoiding those more precise locations. When applying paint with a roller, make long strokes in a W pattern for adequate coverage (and to eliminate those annoying roller marks). When the wall is dry to the touch, it’s time for a second coat.
If you’re painting the trim, remove the painter’s tape and let the walls dry before adding tape to them. Begin with the trim closest to the ceiling, then go on to the door and window frames, and finally the baseboard.