Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or a seasoned property owner, one of the best ways to really make your house feel like “home” is to give it a fresh coat of paint. In any home, the interior walls and ceilings play a big role in setting the tone and creating an atmosphere. Whether you’re looking to paint just a single room or your entire home, it’s essential to understand how it works to ensure the job is done correctly. Explore some tips below for interior house painting that will help you achieve a beautiful and long-lasting result that’s sure to impress!

What Room Should I Paint First?

If you’re starting with a blank wall, the best way to approach interior house painting is to start with the room you use the most. This room could be your living room, kitchen, or bedroom. By painting these rooms first, you’ll be able to enjoy them right away, and the rest of your home can fall into place around them. Not sure which room to start with? Consider these factors:

  • How often is the room used?
  • What time of day is it used the most?
  • What is the purpose of the room?
  • How much natural light does it get?

Generally, most people tend to gravitate towards the living room and kitchen as these are the two most used rooms in typical households. The standard order for interior house painting goes as follows:

  1. Living Room
  2. Kitchen
  3. Bedrooms
  4. Hallways

Living Room

The living room is typically the central and most open space in the house, so it’s essential to ensure that the paint color you choose compliments the furniture and décor. If your living room gets a lot of natural light, you may want to consider a brighter paint color to help reflect that light. However, a warmer color can create a soothing and inviting atmosphere if your living room is more on the muted, cozy side.

Kitchen

Like the living room, the kitchen is another high-traffic area of the home, so it’s important to choose a paint type and color that can stand up to regular use. When painting a kitchen, remember how your cabinets, countertops, and appliances will all play into the overall look. For example, cool-toned paint colors can help create a cohesive look if you have stainless steel appliances.

Bedrooms

The bedrooms in your home are meant to be a place of relaxation, so choosing a paint color that reflects that is essential. If you would like your bedroom to feel calm and serene, consider light grey, blue, or green tones. For a more energizing space, try a brighter pastel color or bold gem-toned hues. Pro tip: when painting bedrooms, a white or light-colored ceiling can help to open up the space and make it feel larger!

Hallways

Hallways often get overlooked when interior painting because no one really spends time in them. However, these connecting parts of a home play an important role in tying the whole house together. When painting hallways, use light-colored paint, so it doesn’t feel too oppressive or closed off. A good rule of thumb is to match the paint color to the trim color in your home for a cohesive look.

The Correct Order of Painting a Room

Once you’ve decided which room to paint first, it’s time to start thinking about the actual process. With interior house painting, there is an order in which the parts of a room must be painted. This order goes as follows:

  1. Ceiling
  2. Walls
  3. Molding or Window Trim
  4. Doors

The reason for this order is that it allows each layer of paint to dry completely before moving on to the next. Trying to paint a ceiling after painting the walls, for example, would be very difficult and would likely result in a big mess! Additionally, painting the walls before the molding or trim will help to ensure that you don’t accidentally paint over the latter.

Painting by Room vs. Painting the Entire Home at Once

One of the most common questions when it comes to interior house painting is whether or not to paint all of the rooms in the house at once or to paint them one at a time. There is no correct answer to this question, as it ultimately depends on personal preference, lifestyle needs, and budget. However, it may be practical to know that painting your entire home at once is actually less costly when factoring in all the added benefits:

  • You will not only have just one updated room, but your entire home will look more “fresh”.
  • By selecting all of your room colors at once, you can ensure a beautiful, cohesive flow between rooms. Furthermore, you won’t have to experience specific colors becoming unavailable or out-of-stock in the future.
  • Everyone in your home will get to enjoy their newly painted room!
  • If your home is older, a complete interior house painting can help rid your home of some of those “old-house smells” that might be coming from your walls.

In addition, painting your entire home at once can actually be less disruptive to your daily life as it allows you to complete the project in a shorter period of time. It’s a one-time job, and you won’t have to keep rearranging your life around paint supplies and materials.

Interior House Painting in Rock Island, IL

Interior house painting doesn’t need to be a stressful project! At Quad Cities Painting Company, we understand that your family and schedule keep you busy enough. Our interior house painters in Rock Island, IL are professionals who efficiently prep and clean up after every job so that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your perfectly painted home as soon as possible. We also offer color consultation services to help you choose the perfect atmosphere for your home.

Whether you need a fresh new vibe for your bedroom or an entire home interior revamp, our Rock Island, IL interior house painting services can turn your vision into reality. Call (309) 722-1442 for a free quote today!