How to paint walls in an apartment instead of wallpaper: choosing paint, step-by-step instructions and recommendations

The choice in favor of painting walls is gradually becoming one of the modern trends. At first glance, it seems that monotony is boring. But many designers argue the opposite, because painted surfaces are a neutral background for expressing style in details, furniture and accessories. In addition, you can draw on painted walls, creating a unique interior design. Since the topic is relevant, we decided to tell you how to paint the walls in an apartment with your own hands, how to choose the right paint and what you must take into account when choosing such a finish.

Types of paints for walls

The first thing you need to do when deciding to paint the walls in your apartment yourself is to choose a specific paint composition. Depending on the main components, there are:

water-soluble paints (emulsion, acrylic, latex, polyvinyl acetate (PVA);
paints based on organic solvents, or alkyd (oil, enamel);
silicate;
adhesives, including casein and dextrin paints.

Water soluble

Water-soluble paints are similar to watercolors, as they have different tones depending on the amount of water used for dilution (not dissolution). They can be layered on top of each other to obtain the desired shade, which can be easily achieved by hand or machine tinting, i.e. adding pigments (coloring agents).

Advantages of water-soluble paints:

easy to apply;
environmentally friendly (no need for respiratory protection to work);
fireproof;
dry fairly quickly;
adhere well to various surfaces (brick, aerated concrete blocks, cement-sand plaster);
are applied in a thin layer and show good hiding power;
create a hermetic layer that protects the surface from microbial damage and corrosion.

Advice from our expert

Polymerization (final hardening) of water-soluble paints is possible only at positive temperatures. Therefore, the temperature of the working surface for painting should not be lower than +5 °C. In winter, paint can only be stored in heated rooms.

Cons:

complete drying, as mentioned above, is only possible at positive temperatures;
During storage, the paint may thicken, but organic solvents solve this problem.

Water-based

They are a water-based composition containing pigment and polymer particles. They fit well on almost any surface, but when applied to metal, it must first be primed. They are not suitable for painting surfaces previously coated with adhesive or glossy paint, as well as varnished surfaces. At the same time, any paint can be applied to the emulsion. In addition, it does not peel off, is permeable to water vapor and air, i.e. “breathes”.

Please note! Water-based paints are suitable for creating volumetric effects. For this purpose, there are textured paints, which are often called decorative plaster.

Water-dispersible

Water-dispersion paints are based on an aqueous composition, where aqueous dispersions of acrylic, butadiene styrene and vinyl acetate copolymers act as a binder. These particles are presented as a suspension in water, and after application they harden, while water dissolves. Due to this difference in composition, water-dispersion paints differ from water-emulsion paints in the following:

form a harder coating with increased resistance to damage;
are water-resistant, whereas emulsion paints are washed off with water;
are only available in white, while emulsion has a wide range of colors;
are diluted with water, whereas emulsion paints require the use of an organic solvent;
are undemanding to careful preparation of the wall, while for the application of emulsion paint a perfectly smooth surface is important.

Acrylic

Based on acrylic acid, they dry quickly and do not fade over time. They are perfectly tintable, are not affected by sunlight, and are water-repellent. Direct contact with water should be avoided, so acrylic paints cannot be used in buildings with damp walls.

Latex

The most expensive water-soluble paints, made with the addition of latex, which provides the highest water resistance. Thanks to this, the walls can be washed as much as you want. Latex paint can be applied to textured wallpaper, plasterboard, plaster, concrete, brick. Drying time is 20-60 minutes.

Polyvinyl acetate (PVA)

The cheapest, have a small palette, are suitable only for manual tinting. Unstable to moisture, so can only be used in dry rooms. Eco-friendly, resistant to sunlight, fats and oils. Most often used for painting ceilings. If you were looking for an answer to the question of how to paint the walls in an apartment on a budget, then choose PVA paint for dry rooms and water-dispersion paint for damp ones.

Paints on organic solvents – alkyd

Unlike water-based paints, alkyd paints are dissolved by organic compounds: turpentine, drying oil, white spirit, and do not change color when applied in layers. Alkyd resin is used as a base. Such paints are well applied to plaster, wooden and metal bases, such as heating radiators.

Advantages of alkyd paints:

- - excellent water repellent;
  - easy to apply and dry quickly;
  - have a low consumption per square meter;
  - resistant to mechanical impacts;
  - are not destroyed by household chemicals.

Cons:

- - have a sharp, heavy smell and are toxic (you need to work not only with gloves, but also with a respirator);
  - less environmentally friendly than water-soluble ones;
  - have a smaller selection of colors than water-based paints;
  - recognized as fire hazardous due to the presence of an organic solvent in the composition.

Subtypes of alkyd paints include:

- Oil. The base is drying oil, and turpentine, gasoline, and white spirit are used as a thinner. The paints are inexpensive, but they take a long time to dry, and over the years they turn yellow, so they are almost never used today.
- Enamel. The main component is varnish, due to which the paints make the surface glossy, and it looks very aesthetically pleasing. Suitable for painting plastered and putty surfaces, can be used indoors and outdoors, resistant to sunlight and rust. If it is important for the paint to dry quickly, you can choose a nitro enamel composition that dries in 15-45 minutes.

Advice from our expert

For those interested in how to paint a brick wall in an apartment, we recommend alkyd paint, which gives a semi-gloss effect. If you need a matte surface, choose a water-soluble acrylic composition. If the area of the surface to be painted is small, you can use oil paint, which will create a soft shine effect.

Silicate

The base is liquid glass, which provides the composition with high resistance to temperature changes and sunlight, vapor and air permeability, and resistance to water. Silicate paints are used primarily for painting facades, although they can also be used indoors.

Application:

- - They are well applied to alkaline surfaces, in particular plaster.
  - They do not adhere well to glass, metal, ceramics, and stone.

Adhesive

They are organic water-based polymers, produced in powder form, which is diluted with water before use. Their properties are similar to emulsion paints, but they are less resistant to moisture, so they are used to paint walls only in dry rooms.

Types of adhesive paints:

- - Casein. They are based on casein protein, which allows the paint to adhere well to concrete, brick, and plaster. Judging by the reviews, these are some of the most durable and beautiful paints.
  - Dextrinated. Suitable only for indoor use, as they have low water resistance. In damp, poorly ventilated rooms, paints deteriorate and become a habitat for microbes and mold. But in dry conditions, dextrinated paints last a long time. In addition, they are environmentally friendly, easy to apply and available in a large number of shades.

Which paint is best to choose depending on the room

The next step before painting the walls in your apartment with your own hands is to decide in which room and what paint to use.

For living rooms (living room, bedroom, study).Alkyd paints are not recommended due to their low environmental friendliness. Any water-soluble paints, including acrylic, as well as adhesive ones, will do.

For childrenAlkyd paints are not suitable, as they are not the most environmentally friendly. Also, you should not use water-based compositions, as they are unstable to mechanical damage. The best option is water-dispersion paint, as it is safe, does not crack, does not crumble and perfectly withstands almost any impact.

For bathroom and kitchenpolyvinyl acetate, water-based and glue paints are not suitable, since they are unstable to moisture and water, which is why they can contribute to the formation of mold. You can use water-dispersion paint, which does not peel off from moisture, as well as alkyd, because it tolerates high humidity and temperature well. It is also permissible to use latex and silicone paint as the most waterproof.

For the corridorWater-dispersion paint is a great choice because it can be washed. The same goes for latex, but it is more expensive, so it is rarely used for painting large areas, mainly for individual interior elements to create an accent.

What materials and tools will be needed?

What you need to paint the walls in your apartment after wallpaper or other types of finishing:

- - dye;
  - wide and narrow roller;
  - brush;
  - paint tray;
  - masking tape;
  - film for covering surfaces and furniture;
  - gloves (and a respirator if alkyd paint is used);
  - wooden spatula for mixing paint;
  - spatula, putty, fine-grained sandpaper and primer.

How to prepare wall surfaces for painting

One of the most important stages in the instructions on how to properly paint the walls in an apartment is preparation for the start of work. You need to remove all unnecessary things from the room (take out furniture or put it in the center of the room), cover surfaces that will not be painted and heating radiators with film from splashes. Remove the covers from sockets and switches, after which the contacts are covered with special plastic plugs, and if there are none, then de-energize the room. Also, you need to take out all food and drinks from the room, even if they are sealed.

The walls for painting must be as smooth as possible, otherwise the paint will lay unevenly and only highlight the defects. Surface preparation consists of the following:

- 1. Remove the old finishing coating, be it wallpaper or paint.
  2. Fill in all the smallest cracks and dents.
  3. After the putty has dried, sand the surface with fine-grained sandpaper.
  4. Cover the walls with primer so that the paint goes on smoother and sticks better, and also reduces its consumption.

Main stages of work and safety measures

The next step in our instructions on how to paint the walls in an apartment yourself is the actual painting itself. The selected paint must be opened and stirred well with a wooden spatula. After that, the composition is poured into a tray, filling it about a third so that it is convenient to dip the roller.

Advice from our expert Yuriy Merenkov

Immediately after filling the tray, close the can of paint to prevent it from drying out. The tray can be wrapped in foil, which can be simply thrown away after finishing the work, and then the container will remain clean.

How to properly dip a roller into paint:

- 1. First, wet it in water so that the dye penetrates the fur coat better.
  2. Roll the roller over the paint surface in the tray several times.
  3. Then do the same, only on the top part of the tray, to remove excess paint.

So, what is the best way to paint the walls in an apartment with a roller:

- 1. Close windows and doors to eliminate drafts that interfere with the drying of the paint.
  2. Use a brush to apply paint in stripes 5-7 cm wide along the corners, baseboards, and ceiling moldings. This will speed up the work, since all the abutments will already be painted. You can do it differently: tape off the abutments to the ceiling and other surfaces with masking tape so as not to stain them during the painting process.
  3. Start painting by moving in the direction from the corner and rolling solid stripes from the ceiling to the floor with a roller. Each subsequent strip is superimposed on the previous one by 3-4 cm. It is important to finish painting the entire wall and only then take a break. Thick paint for the first layer can be diluted according to the instructions on the can.
  4. After the first layer has dried, apply the second (drying time depends on the specific paint). Here the paint does not need to be diluted.
  5. If you used the method with masking tape, then 15-20 minutes after applying the second layer, you need to remove it before the paint has time to dry.

The main requirement for the room when painting is normal natural ventilation, even if the work is carried out in a gas mask. When using alkyd paints, the room must be left, you cannot stay in it for more than 10 minutes. Also, in the room where painting is carried out, you cannot eat or drink.

After painting, remove protective clothing and wash off any paint drops that have gotten on your skin using special solutions specified by the manufacturer on the packaging. It is best to use non-toxic solvents such as acetone or white spirit. After cleaning your skin, wash it with warm water and soap.

How to Avoid Mistakes When Painting Walls

The last thing that is important to mention in the instructions on how to paint walls in an apartment instead of wallpaper is the most common mistakes. Many rely on the apparently good condition of the surface and do nothing to prepare it for painting. The result in this case can be sad, since the paint will only highlight all the flaws. Cracks, swelling, and greasy stains can form. In order not to do double work, it is worth paying enough attention to preparing the surface for painting.

Other important nuances:

- - do not neglect the primer, because without it, paint consumption increases and the color background is distributed unevenly;
  - follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for the proportion of solvent when diluting the color, otherwise the paint may become too liquid and difficult to apply;
  - Do test strokes somewhere remote to make sure the color is right for you;
  - Be sure to stir the paint, as lumps that form during long-term storage can affect the brightness of the composition.

Conclusions. Advice from a specialist

Painting is no less popular finishing method along with wallpapering. First of all, because there are many different paints on the market, allowing you to choose the composition for a specific room, be it a living room with a normal microclimate or a bathroom with its high humidity. The opinion that painting works are not too complicated is close to the truth. The main thing is to know the nuances of the technology and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for proportions when diluting the paint. In this case, the result will definitely meet expectations.