• Paint rollers are useful for painting household walls.paint roller image by Ana de Sousa from Fotolia.com
  
  Painting household walls can change the appearance of an area or an entire room. Certain colors can make rooms seem larger, brighter or more peaceful. Whether you are planning to paint newly constructed walls or older walls, learn a few tips and tricks to make your painting job a little easier.
  
  

Preparation

• Remove as many items as you can from the area around the wall being painted. Take furnishing out of the room or place in another part of the room and take down wall decorations. Cover items and areas of the room near the wall with canvas tarps. Remove all power outlet covers and light switches, and then use painter's tape to cover the holes and switches. Make any repairs needed to the wall. Clean the wall, if needed, to eliminate dirt buildup, and then allow wall to dry thoroughly.
  
  

Equipment

• Gather your equipment in the vicinity close to the wall you are painting. Required and helpful equipment includes paint cans, stir stick, screwdriver (to open cans), a roller with an extending pole, a roller pan and paint brushes including one small 2- to 4-inch brush to paint near edges and a large brush for other areas not reachable with the roller. Other items useful when painting include step stools and stepladders to paint areas out of reach, clean rags, paper towels and newspapers to cover areas or to clean up any spills.
  
  

Painting

• Paint any complete room from the top down. This means you need to paint the ceiling prior to the walls, if required. Use your small brush to paint the edges of the wall, including areas near any doors, windows and along the ceiling and baseboard. Use the roller brush with the extending handle to paint the walls. Place paint in the roller pan, cover the brush completely and then roll the brush on the pan to remove the excess paint. Paint the walls with two coats of paint to ensure even coverage.