Revamped Dining Room

The first step of any painting project is to prep your room. Since we’re painting a roof today, it’s a good idea to remove as much furniture as possible as you’ll need full access to the space while painting above you. Cover the floors and any remaining furniture with a Monarch Leak-Proof Canvas dropsheet to protect them from paint splatters. Give your walls and ceiling a wipe down to remove any dust, grime and spiderwebs.

TIP: Use a lightly damp cloth on the end of a broom to clean spiderwebs from the ceiling if you don’t want to go up and down a ladder.

Once your paint has been stirred according to the can’s directions, use step ladder, a paint bucket and a Monarch Advance Plus brush to cut in around the ceiling. Make sure to also cut in the cornice.

TIP: If you’re painting the walls as well as the ceiling, there’s no need to tape when cutting in. Any overlap that ends up on the walls will be covered up when they get painted in the next steps.

You’ll want to start rolling the ceiling while the cutting in paint is still wet. While it’s possible to paint a ceiling on a ladder, the safer and faster way is to use a roller frame attached to an extension pole to be able to reach the ceiling while standing on the floor. Ensuring there is nothing to trip over (keep your paint tray out of the way), load your roller and apply paint in smooth strokes from one side of the room to the other. We recommend using a Monarch Razorback Walls & Ceilings roller cover which will hold more paint to get the job done faster.

We’ll be freshening up the walls of our dining room before adding a feature wall.

Use a 63mm Walls, Doors & Trims brush to cut in the room, starting from the top. For higher areas you’ll need a step ladder, and it’s recommended to have your paint in a paint bucket to make it easier to reload your brush without getting down from the ladder. Make sure you cut in around features and fittings that would be hard to get a roller into; like around doors, windows and light switches.

TIP: Cut in like a professional! Apply your first line of paint a few cm away from the edge, then use your second stroke to smooth the paint up to the line. This method gives you great control of the paint and makes it easier to get a perfectly straight line without using tape.

You’ll want to roll the walls while the cutting in paint is still wet. Use a quality ultra-microfibre roller cover like our Monarch 230mm Walls & Ceilings roller cover to get a premium quality finish.

Pour a few centimetres of paint into your paint tray and load your roller cover, being careful not to dip the roller too deep and getting paint over the end cap. Apply paint to the walls in smooth strokes from the very top, all the way to the bottom. 

Apply a second coat of paint to your walls once the first coat is dry (refer to your paint can for recoat times).

TIP: A loaded quality roller gives you fantastic coverage with two roller widths before needing to be reloaded. This is a more reliable method than trying to spread the paint as far as it will go and getting a patchy finish.

Most walls will need two coats of paint. Refer to your paint tin for recommended recoat times.

TIP: If you’re painting your room white and adding a feature wall do a single coat of white on your feature wall to act as an undercoat and give you a smooth base. 

To get that wow-factor with your feature wall, a smooth edge is key. Use some quality painters’ tape to tape around the outside edges of your feature wall, including any doorways, window frames, light switches or power points.

TIP: If you’ve only recently painted the other walls in your room, make sure to buy a Delicate Surfaces tape which will be very gentle to your freshly painted walls.

Because a feature wall is designed to stand out you need to make sure to get an extra smooth finish which requires some special products.

Use a Monarch Advance 50mm Oval brush to cut in around the wall. Using a smaller brush with less filament will make the brush easier to control when cutting in and end up with a smoother finish.

To get the smoothest finish you’ll need to roll the wall with a thinner nap roller than a standard Walls & Ceilings roller cover. The Monarch All Purpose roller cover is made of Ultra Microfibre in a 9mm nap (rather than the standard 12-15mm nap for walls) which will give a smooth finish with less stipple.

Attach your roller frame to an extension pole to be able to reach the entire height of the wall without using a ladder. Apply paint to the wall in smooth strokes from the very top, all the way to the bottom. 

Apply a second coat of paint to your feature wall once the first coat is dry (refer to your paint can for recoat times).

TIP: Although a smaller nap roller will give you a smoother finish to your walls, they also hold less paint meaning you’ll need to reload more often; worth doing for a feature wall, maybe not for a whole house.

Now that the painting is done, pour any left-over paint back into the tin, wash out your brushes, rollers and trays and store for next time. Make sure you remove any painters tape from your walls before the paint dries for crisp edges.

TIP: Worried about dried paint or pet hair contaminating your paint? Strain your paint through a cheesecloth or panty hose when you pour the leftovers back into the tin.

When styling around a feature wall, choose elements that will complement the colour. Some bold prints, hanging plants and simple table styling are a great way to go. If you need any tips, check out our Dining Room Design Ideas to get some inspiration.