When you are on a budget, painting one room at a time seems to be a good idea. It may be a hassle if you have to repeat the process of gathering things and pushing furniture every few months, but at least it’s a solution if you cannot have the home painted all at once.

Now, the question following this initial thought is obvious: which room to paint first? Some say the kitchen. Some say the bedroom. Some would go for the living room first. What would you do?

Let’s be honest. If you ask ten different people, you will get maybe not ten but likely seven or eight different answers. Why? Because they all have different priorities, habits, problems. Speaking of problems, water damage, mold infestation, and similar atrocities often become the main reason for deciding to organize a home painting. In such cases, it makes sense to say that one would start from the affected room.

But what if nothing was to affect your decision and it was only your choice which room to pick to paint first?

Will you start the interior painting with the kitchen?

While most people spend a lot of time in the kitchen, they won’t choose it as their first painting room. This may sound odd but it makes sense when you consider that most kitchens are old. And when they are old, people want to renovate – not just paint.

Of course, with some wall and kitchen cabinets painting, the room’s looks will change. This is a quick facelift with no major changes apart from refreshing the color. No wonder the kitchen is not found at the top of the list.

Will you choose the bedroom?

Many people choose to paint their bedroom first. Sometimes, all bedrooms of the house. Why? Because this is the room we sleep in. It must be clean, fresh, calm. By painting the bedrooms first, you will have the chance to sleep elsewhere until the room is tidy again and all odors disappear. More importantly, you will be able to sleep in your own bed – and put the kids in bed, when you start painting the rest of the house. So, the bedroom is the smart room to start your house painting.

Will you paint the living room first?

Most people choose to paint their living room first – or sitting room or family room, whatever you call it. The main idea is to paint the room where the family spends more time into. That’s for two reasons. Because these rooms get dirty faster than others since they are used more often and because people want to spend time in clean rooms. And while this is the first reason for their decision, there’s more.

Living rooms are usually spacious. It means that the home painters take more time to finish living rooms compared to other parts of the house. And so, homeowners know that once this room is done, the rest will be much easier. Then, it’s more work for them too. Living rooms are often filled with furniture, items, upholstery – all sorts of things. It takes time to remove everything and then put them back. And so, everyone prefers to get done with this task while they still have some energy left.

Which room would you paint first?

You too may want the living room, the bedroom, or the kitchen painted first. But it also depends on your habits, how much time you spend where, if you plan to sell or not, if there’s some damage or not. If your intention is to make a good impression, you certainly want to start with the rooms your guests visit – the living room, the hallway, the small bathroom. If you spend more time in the basement, forget about the living room and focus on how to choose colors that will make the basement family friendly again. Simply put, it’s best to start your interior painting project from the room you use the most.