Having lived in six homes where I’ve painted and repainted each room at least once, I’ve painted quite a few bedrooms in my life. So with all of this hands-on experience, I can easily explain how to calculate the time it will take to paint your bedroom.
I like to devote a weekend to painting a bedroom. Since most surfaces need two coats, you have to account for drying time, which I use as a bonus. As soon as I finish rolling on one coat on the walls, I move to prep and paint a piece of furniture. By the time that’s done, the walls are dry enough for a second coat. Planning ahead allows you to work continuously to get every part of the room painted in less time.
To figure out how long it might take, it’s best to break the steps down so that the task doesn’t seem overwhelming:
I like to devote a weekend to painting a bedroom. Since most surfaces need two coats, you have to account for drying time, which I use as a bonus. As soon as I finish rolling on one coat on the walls, I move to prep and paint a piece of furniture. By the time that’s done, the walls are dry enough for a second coat. Planning ahead allows you to work continuously to get every part of the room painted in less time.
To figure out how long it might take, it’s best to break the steps down so that the task doesn’t seem overwhelming:
- First, figure out what has to be painted. Ceiling, walls, furniture and floors? If the ceiling paint is still okay, you just saved yourself a few hours.
- Then make a list of each of item you’re going to paint and place a time next to it so you can schedule it (like my sample breakdown below).
Timing Breakdown: Painting a Bedroom from Top to Bottom
Note: This time is based on an average sized bedroom (11′ x 12′). Adjust times accordingly for smaller or larger rooms.Prep Work: This includes buying paint supplies, laying them out for easy access as you paint, cleaning dust and dirt from the walls and trim, patching and sanding small nail holes or dings, masking out areas and trim with painter’s tape, and covering furniture and floors with drop cloths.
- Time required: 30 minutes–2 hours
Moving Furniture and Walls
Moving Furniture: When painting a ceiling, move furniture out of the way and cover it with drop cloths. If you’re just painting the walls, simply push the furnishings to the center of the room and place drop cloths on the floor.- Time required: 1–2 hours
- Time required: 1–2 hours per coat
Trim, Furniture, Accessories
Trim: Once painter’s tape is in place, painting the trim goes pretty fast.- Time required: 30 minutes to an hour per coat. If painting window sashes, add 30 minutes for each window to move them as you paint to avoid sealing the window shut when it dries.
- Time required: Drawers or a dresser (2 coats of primer & 2 coats of paint) = 2 hours of actual painting time. Add 30 minutes to remove hardware and sand the piece before painting.
- Time required: A lamp or tray takes about 15 minutes per coat.
Clean Up
Clean Up: Once you see the results of your painting efforts, you’ll be motivated to get the bedroom cleaned up and the furniture back into place.- Time required: Disposable paint supplies take 15–30 minutes to clean up. Washing brushes, rollers and the paint tray along with folding up drop cloths takes 30 minutes to an hour.
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