How Long does it Take to Paint a Room | Painting Wall in Hours

When you decide to remodel or renovate, re-painting your rooms will probably be the last thing on your list. If you want to give your home a new look, but lack the funds for a full remodel, you can give your rooms new looks with a quick paint job.s

How long does painting one room take? The answer varies depending on the shape and size of the room. Based on the size of an average room of 12′ x 12′, it requires about 30 minutes per wall, plus the ceiling.

A long room or an oversized room like a living room will take longer than that. So, it does take about two hours for the average-sized room, but a lick of paint here and a lick of paint there results in a new look in less time required for watching most Hollywood feature films. That is pretty efficient decorating.

If you are painting many rooms, you should set aside a weekend for painting. That is because you need time between the coats of primer and paint for drying time, so each room does take about five or six hours total.

How to Paint a Room

Besides knowing how long painting should take for a wall or room, you also need the proper equipment and you need to use the correct procedure. That saves you time and effort in the long run because doing it right the first time means you need not do it again. That saves you work hours.

Purchasing the Right Equipment

The first step in painting a room correctly is buying the right equipment. You need far more than paint and brushes. Here is a list of what you will need from the hardware or home improvement store. This step takes about 15 to 20 minutes, not counting drive time. You will need the following items:

• Appropriate paint
• Brushes
• Rollers
• Mild cleanser
• Cleaning cloths
• Primer
• Drop cloths
• Painter’s tape
• Trays
• Wall putty
• Sand paper
• Putty knife
• Household broom
• Ladder

Preparing the Room

You first must dust and clean the walls and ceiling before painting. That ensures you do not adhere any lint or debris onto the wall. Start with the broom and sweep off the cobwebs and dust from the ceiling and upper walls. Using the mild cleanser and cleaning cloths, cleanse the walls completely. You will stand on the ladder to clean the ceiling and the upper walls.

While you let the cleanser dry, move the furniture out of the room. This makes painting it faster since you will not have to walk around the furniture or cover pieces with drop cloths. Take all of the wall hangings down and pull the nails or picture hangers out of the walls. Cover the floor of the room with drop cloths. Cover the trim with painter’s tape. Also, apply tape on the wall areas, if you want to cover sections or stripes. This sounds like it takes a long time, but it only takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

Coating the Walls and Ceiling

You must start with a smooth, clean surface. Use the putty knife and wall putty to fill in the holes. Using the edge of the knife, smooth the putty. While it dries and hardens, set up your painting supplies. Pour your primer into a clean tray. Get out your sandpaper and cut a small piece, about the size of the palm of your hand. Sand each of the filled holes smooth. Using one of the cleansing cloths to wipe off the dust from the sanding. This should take less than ten minutes. The next step takes a total of about three and a half hours, but most of that is drying time.

Now, you will prime the walls. Primer works like a glue you cannot see. It goes on clear or white, depending on the brand you buy. Many paints mix in primer, but it is not as effective as primer and separate multiple coats of paint.

Dip your roller into the primer tray and coat it. Raise it above the tray and let it drain the excess off. Roll the primer onto the wall in smooth, even motions from top to bottom and back up the wall. Apply it so that no space appears between the widths of the roller applications. Continue rolling the primer onto each wall. Standing on the ladder, apply primer onto the ceiling using the roller. This process takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

You must wait for it to dry before applying a coat of paint. How long? It takes about an hour of drying time for a coat of either. This makes an ideal time for a lunch break or running errands.

Once your break is over, you fill a clean tray with your color and use a fresh roller to repeat the same process you did with the primer. Roll the color onto each wall, in the same manner, you used applying the primer. Ignore the paint can text that says you only need one coat. You need to apply two. So, after you finish the first coat on the walls, you mount the ladder again and apply the first coat onto the ceiling. This does not take long – only about 20 minutes. It takes an hour for its drying though.

If you are remodeling the whole house, you can simply move to another project for an hour. You can sand furniture, prep the next room you will work on, sand a piece of furniture or something else in another room. How you use the hour is totally your decision. Drying time simply amounts to time to devote to another project. You are still getting something home-related done in the drying hours.

Roll on your second coat and let it dry an hour. You can peel the painter’s tape off of the trim once your second coat has dried.

Use the small brushes to apply a coat of your chosen trim color onto your trim. You will probably need to mount the ladder one last time for removing the tape from your crown molding and/or painting your trim. Your re-painting project does not take you half a day and you probably got more than one room done if you worked efficiently.