Follow these 5 paint preparation tips and you will speed up your work and ensure your efforts don’t go to waste. Most importantly you’ll ensure a fantastic finish every time.

1. As with most things preparation is the key, one of the best things to start with is to organize a tool station in the middle of the room to ensure you have everything you need close to hand. Get together your paint, brushes, rollers, hammers, screwdrivers, plastic bags, plastic wrap, rags, primer, paint can opener, drop cloths and anything else that is going to help you achieve those perfect walls. Also the day before you intend to paint make sure the room is ready by moving all furniture away from the walls, patch cracks and holes up, put painters tape around doors, windows, electrical fittings, etc. and cover the light fittings (sans light bulb of course!) with plastic bags. Lastly don’t forget to cover your floor with a drop cloth, polka dots look better on the wall, not the floor!

2. Don’t be tempted to skip the primer as this can be key, primer does not only give you a good surface to paint on but it also brings out the best color in your paint.

3. So now that you are ready, which paintbrushes do you use? This decision is getting harder and harder to make as more new products come onto the market to make your life easier. So here’s a few tips on what to use:

a. Natural bristle brushes are best for oil based paints, as when used in water based paints the bristles will soak up the water and go limp.

b. Synthetic bristle brushes are designed for water-based or latex-based paints but really they can be used for anything. However it is still important to choose the right brush for your need as split end brushes or ‘flags’ as they hold more paint and spread paint more easily and consistently. Whereas a tapered brush with a chiseled edge will help with painting straight edges

c. Painting pads – A simple, easy and neat way to use to apply paint, do not apply too much paint though as the paint can drip, and then you’ll need to take it apart, clean it, dry it, then start all over again

d. Foam brushes are cheap and great for small jobs and touching up and come in a variety of sizes.

e. Rollers – Make sure when getting a roller that it does not have a cardboard core as this will not last, so it’s better to go for either a plastic or metal core. And chose a roller ‘nap’ (the thickness of the rolling pad) with a thin smooth nap for flat, smooth walls and a thicker nap for uneven, rough textured walls. Foam paint rollers are good as they don’t splatter paint and paint surfaces evenly, however foam rollers are not so good on rough surfaces.

f. Water, oil or latex based paint? – latex based paints are now developed to be green (not the color but environmentally friendly!) and drying time is now around 1 hour, latex paints are also cleared up easily with water. Be careful to keep the lid on the latex paint as much as possible as latex paints tend to get a skin on the paint when left open, therefore it’s best to pour the paint you need into another container then close the lid. With water based paints it is best to apply using rollers, pads or synthetic brushes. Oils paints are the preferred choice of paint by professionals,

4. Another top tip to avoid having to clean your brushes every time you wish to take a break is to a break is to simply wrap up your brushes in plastic wrap and seal them in a plastic bag, this will mean that they are still usable and flexible when you return. If you think your ‘break’ will be longer than a week, than place your brushes wrapped in the bags inside the freezer – just don’t confuse them with an ice cream!

5. Lastly, and one of my favorite top tips! Is when you have finished painting yet you still have a small amount of paint left in a big paint pot, use a glass jar to contain the leftover paint and put a label on it informing you which room the paint was used, then if you ever need to touch up the paint in a particular room you’ll have the exact paint ready when you need it without having to store a large and unnecessary paint pot.