You just bought the home of your dreams, but the living room is covered in an unsightly olive green color.

You know painting this room is going to be your first priority since your furniture and decor clash with the eyesore. Before you begin, you’ll want to know what the project you’re taking on entails.

So, how long does it take to paint a room? Keep reading to learn more!

How Long Does it Take to Paint a Room?

There are a variety of factors that will impact how long it takes to paint a room.

Here’s what will impact the time it takes to paint a room:

Preparing the Room

Before you begin painting a room, you’ll want to make sure that the room and the walls are prepared for painting.

To avoid getting paint on your floors, consider putting a plastic covering down. Also, if you have trim that you don’t want to get any of the paint on, make sure you tape the trim with tape that won’t peel the existing paint off.

If you have any outlets in the room that you don’t want to get paint on, you’ll want to remove the outlet covers. Be careful around the outlets themselves, as getting too close to them with a paintbrush or paint roller can be dangerous.

If you don’t want to remove all the furniture from the room, move it to the center of the room and put plastic wrap over the furniture. Don’t forget to remove all pictures or other wall decor before starting to paint.

Preparing the Walls

Once you’ve protected floors, trim, outlets, and furniture, it’s time to prep the walls.

Before painting, it’s always a good idea to wash the walls. Excess dirt, dust, or oil from people’s hands may create an uneven finish for the paint.

If the walls are clear of dirt and oil, you can get away with wiping the walls down with warm water and a sponge. This will remove any dust on the wall.

If you notice that your walls have some grime, dirt, or mud on them, try using a mild detergent to remove it.

To Prime or Not To Prime?

Many people choose to use a primer every time they paint.

While a primer will typically help you achieve a smoother finish, it’s not always necessary. Times that you should use a primer include:

• You’re transitioning from a dark to a light color
• The wall is porous
• The wall is stained
• The previous paint has a glossy finish

There are circumstances where a primer isn’t quite as necessary. Times that you don’t need to use a primer include:

• The wall is already clean and free of stains
• You’re using the same color, a similar color, or a darker color

So, while you’ll find a primer is necessary for the majority of the time, there are times when you can skip it. Also, you may find that paint with a built-in primer works the best for you. The built-in primer makes the paint thicker, allowing it to cover the walls more efficiently.

If the walls are in rough shape, it would be best to use a separate paint and primer.

Depending on what your walls look like, you’ll want to use 1-2 coats of primer. After you’ve prepared the room, washed the walls, and primed the walls, you’re probably looking at an hour or more of preparation time.

How Large Is the Room?

If you’re painting a small bathroom, the preparation and paint shouldn’t take more than 2 hours.

It could potentially take longer, depending on how many coats of the new paint your walls require. If you’re painting a large living room or bedroom, you’re looking at a much longer time commitment.

The preparation itself will probably take a couple of hours for a larger room, so when you add multiple coats of paint to the mix, you’re looking at a project that may end up taking you all day. Depending on the size of your living room, you should plan to spend around 5 hours or more on the project if you plan to finish it in one day.

Since painting a large room is time-consuming, you may find that paying a professional will be worth the cost. Not only will a professional create a clean and polished wall, but they’ll do it in less time than it would take for you to paint the room.

Are You Painting the Entire Room?

Accent walls are a trend people are beginning to utilize in their homes more and more.

If you’re only painting 1 or 2 accent walls, the project shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. You’ll still need to factor in the number of coats you’ll need.

For example, if you’re creating a black accent wall and you previously had white paint, you may need around 3 coats to cover up the white completely. This same idea applies when painting a dark wall to a light color, except you’ll want to use a fair amount of primer to cover the old paint.

Cleaning and Touching up the Room

Once all the paint is dry, you’ll want to go around the room to check for any spots you may have not covered completely.

It’s best to do this while the natural lighting is shining through your window since this lighting will reveal imperfections you may not notice in artificial light.

Depending on how thorough you were with your original paint, touching up can take 30 minutes or up to one hour. Cleanup should be fairly quick, as all you need to do is remove the plastic, replace the furniture, and clean your brushes and rollers.

Are You Ready to Transform Your Room?

While many people think painting a room is a quick and easy task, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

So, how long does it take to paint a room? Well, that will depend on your room and paint!

It could take a couple of hours or the entire day. If you don’t have the time to spend preparing and painting your walls, give us a call today for a free quote!