Paint a room

A weekend. The tape and the prep are the job; the painting is the easy part.

How big is the room?

Length (ft)Width (ft)Ceiling height (ft)

That’s 468 sq ft of wall — not floor. Paint goes on the walls.

This fits in a car

About 66 lb of materials. Comfortably inside what a car carries (200 lb), so any shopper can take it. ⚠️ 1 item on the list has no weight on file, so the real load is a little heavier than this.

What to buy — untick anything you have

Paint

3 gallons of interior wall paintEggshell unless told otherwise. Have them shake it at the till.
2 gallons of primer
3 rolls of painter tape
1 Roller kit
1 pack of roller sleeves
1 Angled brush, 2 in
1 Drop cloth
1 tub of spackle

Tools — already ticked off, since most people have them

Tools

1 Step ladder· most people have this
1 Putty knife· most people have this

It lands in the shopping form, where you can edit anything and say what you think each thing costs. Nothing is ordered until you send it.

How it goes · about a weekend · beginner

Move what you can out and pile the rest in the middle under the drop cloth.
Fill the holes with spackle, let it dry, and sand it smooth.
Tape the trim, the ceiling line and the sockets. This is most of the work and all of the result.
Cut in the edges with the brush first, then roll the middle in a W and fill it in.
Let the first coat dry properly before the second. Touching it back too early pulls it off.
Pull the tape while the last coat is still slightly soft.