It’s tempting to skip straight to the paint — it’s the fun part, and prep feels like a waste of a Saturday. But a paint job without proper prep chips, peels, and shows every flaw in the wall underneath within months. Fifteen extra minutes of prep is the difference between a finish that lasts years and one that needs redoing next year.
Here’s the proper order to do it in.
1. Clear and Protect the Room
Move furniture away from the walls or out of the room entirely. Lay dust sheets over flooring and remaining furniture — cotton dust sheets are better than plastic for absorbing drips rather than letting paint pool and slide.
2. Wash the Wall with Sugar Soap
Walls build up a layer of dust, grease and grime you can’t always see — especially in kitchens and hallways. Sugar soap cuts through this and gives the new paint something clean to bond to. Mix it with warm water, wash the wall with a sponge, then rinse with clean water and let it dry fully before moving on.
3. Fill Any Cracks or Holes
Use a flexible filler for small cracks (it moves with the wall and won’t crack again) and a standard ready-mixed filler for holes from old picture hooks or shelf brackets. Apply with a filling knife, slightly overfilling, then leave to dry fully — rushing this step means the filler shrinks back and leaves a dip once painted.
4. Sand It Smooth
Once the filler is dry, sand it flush with the surrounding wall using medium-grit sandpaper, then go over the whole wall lightly with a fine grit to knock back any texture and give the paint a smooth, even surface to grip. Wipe away the dust with a damp cloth or tack cloth before painting.
5. Mask Up
Run painter’s tape along skirting boards, window frames, light switches and anywhere else you want a crisp, clean line. Press it down firmly so paint can’t bleed underneath, and remove it while the paint is still slightly tacky rather than fully dry for the cleanest edge.
6. Prime If Needed
If you’ve filled large areas, painted over a dark colour, or you’re working on bare plaster, a coat of primer first will save you needing two or three extra coats of your actual paint to get even coverage.
The Short Version
Clean with sugar soap, fill cracks and holes, sand smooth, mask up, and prime if needed. Skipping prep is the number one reason a paint job doesn’t last — the extra 15 minutes pays for itself many times over.
Starting a decorating job this weekend?
We stock sugar soap, filler, sandpaper, masking tape and dust sheets — everything you need to prep and paint, all on Lavender Hill. Open 7 days.