Tips and techniques for painting a large wall surface?

I'm painting my bedroom but I've never actually painted anything like that before. I have all the stuff, but I'm a huge perfectionist and I don't want blotches or streaks. I know its not that complicated, but does anyone have any tips to share for a novice?Tips and techniques for painting a large wall surface?
Sure!!


As a pro painter I can help you with this one.


choose paint sheen carefully.


Flat or eggshell usually goes on pretty easy with no streaks.


Semi gloss or gloss paints are a bit trickier


Use latex/water based paints...much easier





sand walls with pole sander...just to scuff lightly and remove any large blotches...also dont forget to patch any holes and let dry prior to painting.(these patches SHOULD be covered with a white flat primer, or you run the risk of ';flashing'; )





Important:..rince rollers out in water before use...I actually almost brush or comb them first to make sure there is no pieces of fluff on them. Once you put a ';fluffy'; roller in the paint tray, its to late.





Trim and ceilings should be painted first, if necessary.


When you first start cutting the walls. start in a closet or somewhere not so obvious..this will help you practice your nice straight lines.


when cutting close to the ceiling....never touch the ceiling, but make your line as close as possible to the ceiling





When rolling, know that you will do 2 coats, so dont worry about about coverage.2nd coat will probably be easier to go on, and spread at the rate of approx. one rollerful to 3 or 4 feet of wallto ceiling


Hope this helpsTips and techniques for painting a large wall surface?
Use high quality paint: Sherwin Williams Duration or Duperpaint. Make sure the walls are properly prepped. Any imperfections will show. Paint Ceiling to floor. Cutting in will be a challenge for a novice.
put newspaper or something on the floor, so you don't get paint on your floor. =( that's bad. umm...just make even strokes with your roller. I'm a perfectionist too and when I painted my room I didn't get any streaks... thankfully!
Remember to put drop clothes down before starting.





If you have carpet up to the bottom trim of the wall, you can slide a wide drywall knife or one of those paint guides between the carpet and trim, and paint the bottom of edges of trim cleanly and neatly.





Start out with cutting in the edges (i.e., corners, ceiling, floor, baseboards) by brush up to twice the width of your brush, roll up and down in close ';W'; pattern meeting the cuts you have already done by brush, if you can roll as close to the ceiling and floorboards as you can.





Go slow to make sure it is covering well, once you get the hang of it you'll be done. Just make sure, not to rush it otherwise, you'll get those blotches or streaks. Do not paint with dry roller, yet again you'll get streaks and dry spots.





Painting two coats is not a bad thing, sometimes the first coat just gets sucked in, you can't help it regardless of how careful you were. It depends upon when the walls were painted prior to you doing this. Sometimes priming prior to painting, is a painter's best friend. It saves some effort at the end, meaning instead of three coats of the final color, it may take two or if you're really good, one.


Depending upon the final color, of course.


Example: reds=multiple coats, gray primer is best; black=multiple coats, gray primer is best


dark colors= multiple coats, gray primer is best. If unsure what primer to use (i.e., tinted or untinted) ask your paint associate at the local hardware store.





For me, when I paint, I use a 5-gallon bucket and painter's grid, to reduce the mess when I dip the roller and remove excess paint. Take it from me, I do alot of interior painting and some exterior as a living.
Make sure you have a roller with the right nap. If the wall is smooth vs textured. (it will tell you on the label). Cover the floor. Make sure the walls are clean and dry. Tape off any areas (baseboard, windows etc.) that you don't want painted. Smooth the edges of the tape to prevent bleed under. Cut in along the ceiling with a brush and along the taped edges. Suggestion, only work one area at a time. Once you've cut in then get your roller. You want to work in a W pattern an fill in the gaps as you go. You'll avoid lines and streaks that way. Remove the tape before your paint is all the way dry. Good luck.
Lay down some kind of material on the floor to catch any unforseen spills and/or drips, and buy a large enough quantity of paint.





Oh, and don't forget the primer.
Roller
Everyone paints in their own way.


Mine is to edge in all around with an edger pad, then roll the large areas.


This helps me blend better, so the coverage is even.