Make-it-Monday: Painting a Bedroom for the First Time

Does anyone else hate doing new things? I get really overwhelmed when I have to do something totally new. I'm a total perfectionist, and I'm always afraid I'm going to mess-up beyond repair. Last week, I did something really intimidating - I painted my new bedroom

The first time I visited my new apartment, I fell in love with it - err, most of it. The bedroom was painted this awful dark apricot. The room gets little light to begin with, and the color made it feel like a dungeon. I've threatened to paint in the past, but until now I never followed-through. It seemed like such a huge project, something that would cause me stress and heartache, and which I'd probably just mess up. Still, I couldn't bear to live in that dark room, so I decided to take the plunge.

I don't have a natural gift for interior design (my spaces tend to look messy and cluttered and mismatched), but I wanted my new room to feel like an "adult" space. Naturally, I turned to Pinterest. I ran a search for "mint bedroom," and I found a lot of great inspiration. I after a while, I started to notice patterns - gold accents, white lights, soft blues, and pops of brighter color.

But there's more to design than just picking colors - you have to slap it up there. I did setpainting in college, but I figured there would be more to it than just that. I found some great articles (How to Prepare a Wall for Painting, How to Paint a Room, DIY Painting Tips, Tricks..., Painting a Room Step-by-Step) that walked me through wall prep, priming, and color application. After reading all these (and more), I felt prepared. 

And as it turns out, I was! The hardest part, by far, was taping out the room and securing the dropcloths. It was tedious and boring, and took a good hour and a half. But once I had covered all the trim, the rest was a blast. Painting isn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be, once I was armed with Knowledge.

If you're looking to paint, and you're afraid you don't have what it takes, I promise you, you do. If I can pull it off, then so can you. If you still don't feel ready after reading those articles, then consider this novice's final bits of advice:

• Get supplies well in advance - Painting Days are stressful enough without running around all morning for supplies. Get everything at least 24 hours before you want to start painting.

• Buy a sample of the color you want - I wasn't sure quite which color to go with, so I bought small samples of my two finalists and painted a small patch of each on a primed wall. The next day, when I went to buy my gallons, I knew exactly which color to go for. Plus, now I have these teeny pots of paint that will be great for touch-ups or crafts.

I went for the color on the right - Icy Blue by Valspar (from Lowe's)

• Don't be afraid of cheap paint - Before you splurge on the expensive stuff, do a little research. I was interested in Valspar, but it since it was the cheapest option at Lowe's, I was a little wary. I jumped online, and read some glowing reviews of the brand. I went ahead and bought two gallons, knowing that it wouldn't slide right off the wall or dry all patchy.

• Don't do it alone - My new bedroom isn't huge, but it would have taken me a long time to paint it by myself. I enlisted a few helpers for each day, and they made the time fly by.

I'm so happy with how my room looks now. The walls are so bright, and the color is so soothing.

If you have any tips of your own, leave them in the comments. I might do another room, and I'd love your input.