How to Paint

Expository Essay

Painting a room can look like a very long endless process that just seems to take up your life. When in actuality it can take you no longer than a few hours if done efficiently. But no matter how you do it, its always nice to have a how-to guide there to reassure your every move.

Once the room of choice is picked out, where do you start? Preparing the room is often the most time-consuming step in painting a room.

The first thing to do is have all the items needed to get the job done. The most essential item is the paint. For the best results, buy a high quality, one coat paint. Also, buy the right kind of paint. Semi-gloss is used on kitchens, bathrooms, and children's rooms. If it's a living room or a hallway to be painted, buy a flat paint. The rest of the essential items are brushes, rollers, and a paint pan.

The next list of items needed are masking tape, a drop cloth or an old sheet you don't mind getting paint. If you don't already have these items, you can buy them at your local hardware store.

The next step in preparing the room is to take everything off the walls and either put it all in another room or just in a pile in the middle of that room. Then move everything away from the walls and move it to the center of the room. Once that's done, cover the pile with the old sheet or drop cloth.

Taping is the most crucial step in preparing the room. Spread the sheets open and tape them where the edge of the floor meets the wall. Do this all along the floor, taping the sheets together as well. Hardware stores also sell plastic tarps that work perfectly in place of sheets. If you have anything else touching the wall that's not being painted tape them off as well. Now, if the ceiling is not being painted or is going to be a different color than the walls, run the masking tape along the ceiling where the walls meets it as well.

Using a screwdriver or a paint can opener, open the can of paint. Next, take a paint stick and stir the paint thoroughly until all the oils are mixed together.

Grab your paintbrush and dip it in the can. The trick is to not get to much paint on the brush. Most brushes have a line on the to show how far down to dip them. Do make sure this is done properly lightly scrape the sides of the brush on the edge of the can so no excess paint is dripping. Start by painting along the