I'm working on this myself--done the bathroom, now working on the bedroom.
- First wipe down and use spackle to fill in any dings and dents in the wall.
- Use a scraper/putty knife to scrape areas where there's peeling paint so that any and all lose bits come off.
- Sand the spots where you've spackled and the peeled paint spots so there aren't any noticeable raises around their edges. Try and get them as flat and smooth as possible.
- Vacuum then wash the walls with a light soap and water and rinse by wiping with clean water.
- Take off the electrical outlet covers and any other thing affixed to the walls. (Turn the power to the room off at the breaker first!)
- Tape off door trims, outlet plugs, floor trim, and ceiling edge using painter's tape. I taped newspaper to the top edge of the floor molding so that drops wouldn't hit further down.
- Put down a drop sheet. (For the bathroom I used an old shower curtain, but in bedroom I'm using a plastic sheet.)
- First paint over spackled areas to seal them. Then (with a hand brush) do the edges around doors, at the ceiling, floor, wall corners, and around outlet holes. (This is called "cutting in". Google and you'll find lots of videos on the best ways to do this.)
- Use a roller brush for the rest of the wall. (Make sure you rinse the rollerbrush in warm water, let it dry, and then vacuum it before use to make sure you get as much loose fluff off it as possible.)
- Allow two hours to dry.
- Add another coat by repeating the brush and roller steps.
- Allow to dry another two hours.
- Check for any messed up spots where you didn't quite cover properly and add another touchup there. (Paint should dry to blend evenly.)
- Remove painter's tape. (Make sure you've waited the two hours before doing this but don't wait longer or the paint may peel off with the tape.)
My cost is as follows everything purchased at the Dollar Store unless noted:
- Painter's tape $1.00
- Scraper/putty knife $1.00
- Spackle (Polyfilla) $4.50 (Wal-Mart)
- Sandpaper $1.00 (get a fine grade, and maybe very fine as well if you're picky)
- Paintbrush $1.00
- Paint roller handle $1.25
- Roller brush $1.00
- Roller paint tray $1.25
- Plastic dropsheet $1.00
- Loop brand premixed recycled latex paint $16.50 (Wal-Mart) (eco-friendly!)
**I also used a handful or rags for emergency wiping, a screwdriver for removing the outlets and opening the paint can, a few paper towels (only 2 or 3 maybe?), a clean empty margarine container to hold touch-up paint, a hammer to put the paint can lid back on, and a garbage bag (you can stash the paint tray in a garbage bag between coats to keep the paint from drying up) .
So, about $30+ tax for two rooms. Not too shabby. ...You only have to really prime a wall if the wall has never been painted before, if you are painting over a glossy oil paint, or are trying to keep out an odour (cigarettes?) that may be sunk into the walls.
Umm.. And this is sort of weird, but... Because I live alone (and live on the 5th floor so nobody sees in my windows), I decided it was easy and convenient to paint in the nude. No mess on any clothes or having to worry that some dribbled into an unnoticeable area. I would check myself in the mirror before leaving the room and check the bottom of my feet though every time I had to step off the sheet. :)
