I'm going to pop my painting and decorating cherry at the weekend.

always at all times recall where you put the paint tin or you WILL STEP IN IT and trail stuff everywhere you don't want it

other tips, wash the walls thoroughly and let them dry thoroughly too.

Also, make sure you clean the brushes/rollers etc. properly after you've finished, or they'll go all crusty. You'll have to do lots of coats, but you don't have to clean everything between coats, cover brushes/rollers very tightly with clingfilm, and they should survive at least overnight without drying out.

Clear as much space as possible, cover everything, and make sure you've bought enough masking tape.

Good luck!

(((sorry if that's incomprehensible, my English vocabulary doesn't really stretch to tools & stuff)))

Mask eveything you can. Espacially the edges where the floor meets the walls. If you want to be sure of not getting any splashes on carpets etc you should get some plastic dust sheets and tape them to the edges of the room. It's pricy but can save a lot of trouble.

Do all your sanding before you start painting - and sand everything - go over all wood surfaces such as windows, doors and skirting with sandpaper and if you're painting the radiators, go over them with sandpaper too. Yeah, get the filler in too if you need it, and sand it back until you are happy.

When your're doing the walls you should really do the ceiling too or it'll stick out and piss you off. Do the ceiling first then the walls in sections. Cut them in first (go round the edges at the top and bottom, or the sides with a brush) then fill the rest with the roller. Keep the strokes uniform, top to bottom and back up, and don't overlaod the roller - if it's creating a fine spray there's too much paint on it. Really work the paint in too - you'll always need less paint than you think - painting properly is hard work so if it seems to easy you're not making the paint work hard enough.

Do the glossing on the wood and skirting last of all. Use a light emuslsion undercoat if you can be bothered and when you gloss, don't use a massive brush, and use only a minimal amount of paint on the brush, just on the tips of the fibres - you want to spread it thinly to avoid drips and achjieve a smooth surface. And be prepared for two to three coats for a shit hot finish.

Always wash out and dry all your brushes, rollers and trays thoroughly at the end of each day. Store them in binbags over night. If you look after them, they'll hold up as long as you need them too.

Be careful how long you leave masking tape on. Depending on lenth of time, and tackiness, you could make a mess when you take it off. Go for low tack, and don't leave it on too long.

Hanna's completely on the mark. As tempting as shortcuts seem, you'll only regret them in leisure, when you relax, sit back, and notice all the imperfect bits.

I used the plastic sheets for the floor. They work, and you can use them again. Just be careful if it's carpet, as it can make it quite slippy.

Don't scrimp on brushes either, cheap = lots of hairs falling out and covering the wall with the paint. If the surface is good and there's a lot to do i think rollers are a much better way of covering the walls smoothly and evenly.

Also, Hanna, your English was perfect! :)

I have no practical advice beyond the general 'wear your scruffiest clothes/pull your hair back/hide it if possible' notes given elsewhere.

well, anybody got any other tips?

i gotta look into drop cloths and a "paint brush comb" etc. i have some apartmenttherapy posts bookmarked and stuff.

how about primer? is that so important, if i've got white walls to begin with?

washing the walls beforehand, srsly??

Funnily enough ... seven years since the above post ... I was just wondering whether to apply primer or not. It adds depth to the colour said the bloke in the shop.

So ... the last paint job in the bathroom has flaked badly and the surfaces look fucked. They've been partly sanded but ... is there a decent product for skimming over the crap bits???