How to Paint a White Wall in 8 Easy Steps

Before you start painting, you want to prepare the room to reduce damage to surfaces and furniture. Remove any lightweight furniture from the room. For larger items, place them in the center of the space and cover them with a drop cloth. To protect your floor from paint stains, place drop cloth on the floor as well.

You should remove electrical outlet covers and light switch covers. Be sure to shut off the circuit breaker before removing them and place all screws and covers together to avoid losing them. Cover the switch plates, door knobs, and any other hardware in the room with painter's tape. Cover light fixtures with a plastic sheet while the circuit breaker is still off. 

Due to the bright nature of white paint, imperfections will be easily exposed. For a pristine appearance on your walls, patch up any imperfections such as holes, scratches, or dings. Patch the areas with caulk, sand them down as needed, and apply a thin coat of primer over the patch job.

Priming the walls is an optional step but can be beneficial when painting a white wall. Primer is a base coat that helps create a strong surface for the new paint to adhere to. When painting a white wall, it can take many coats to cover up the darker color beneath it. This step can be a huge time saver and prevent you from having to apply too many coats.

Apply your primer in even coats on your walls using a paint roller. The primer will have to dry completely before you can go in with your new paint color.

Next, you will paint any areas of the wall that would be difficult to paint flawlessly with a roller. This painting technique, referred to as cutting in, involves using a brush to paint along the edge of areas such as trim, baseboards, ceiling lines, and crown molding.

To begin, dip the brush into the paint and remove any excess. Lightly paint in a straight, parallel line to the painter's tape. Feather the paint downwards when you reach the end of the area to create a seamless blend. Ensure the brush strokes blend by rolling the wall beside the area immediately.

Now you're ready to apply the white paint. You will work your way from top to bottom, using a roller extension pole for high areas as needed. 

Begin by mixing your paint with a paint stirrer and pouring it into the tray. Be careful not to pour in too much to avoid overflowing. Gently dip your paint roller into the painting tray reservoir and pull the roller back. Your paint should evenly cover the roller, so roll it over the divots in the paint tray to remove excess paint.

Work in 3-foot sections at a time and apply the paint to the area in “M” or “W” motions to blend the roller lines. Once you finish applying the paint in one direction, go back over it in the opposing direction until the area is completely covered. If the area coincides with cutting in location, overlap the paint to create a smooth blend. 

Repeat the process until the entirety of the room has been painted. 

When painting a white wall, additional coats may be required. Wait until the first paint coat has dried completely before deciding on a second coat. If you decide it needs another coat, repeat the painting process, including cutting in and painting the walls.

After your final coat has dried, take a look at the walls. See if any areas require more paint or need to be caulked. Since white easily shows imperfections, you may discover areas that need work that weren't as glaring before. Fix those areas as needed.

Once your last coat of paint has been applied and dried, you may want to paint the trim with a fresh coat to maintain a clean appearance. Ensure the paint on the walls has dried completely as you will need to tap off the area to apply a coat to the trim.