Sep 5: Before starting to paint the woodwork it is a good idea to clean your rollers now as they will not be needed in the next stage. A top tip if you are continuing to another room is to wrap your roller tightly in a carrier bag. This will keep the roller fresh and ready to use for about 48 hours and removes the need to wash your roller until the job is completely finished. When painting the woodwork there are so many different types of paint to choose from. My example will be using an oil based undercoat and gloss. Firstly you will need to go around the room and pull back the floor protection approximately an inch. It is then a good idea to mask the floor where the carpet or flooring meets the woodwork.

Open your undercoat and stir it well. If you are using oil based paints this is particularly important as the oil needs to be well mixed with the paint. My preference is to use a larger 3 inch angled brush although any good quality brush will do. The reason I use a larger brush is because you need to return to the paint pot less often as the larger brush will hold and distribute more paint. Using the undercoat cut in the paint to where the wall meets the skirting and door frames around the whole room. Try to avoid contact with the flooring as the masking tape will not entirely protect you carpet or flooring.

Carry on until all the woodwork is complete including the doors and windowsill. Any oil based paint takes a long time to dry so it is important to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines which can be found on the paint pot. These instructions will tell you how long the drying time is and when the paint is able to receive a top coat. Once the undercoat is dry you will need to very lightly sand it down using fine coarse sandpaper. Make sure that you dust the woodwork off with your dusting brush before attempting to apply your top coat of paint.

Once this is complete you can apply your top coat of gloss paint. Start with the skirting boards and go around the whole room leaving any large areas such as doors and windowsills until last. When painting a large area such as a door you can use a gloss roller or a brush but you must remember to lay the paintwork off once you have finished.

This is done the same way as the walls and ceiling only using a brush rather than a roller. Lightly run your brush diagonally in one direction and then lightly again in the other direction. This will help remove any brush marks in the paintwork and helps to give you the professional look once it is finished.