Tips for the do-it-yourself paint decorator:

Paints come in many specialised formats, so choose the most appropriate one for your decorating project: bathrooms will require mould-resistant paints, living rooms and active kids go well with washable acrylic finishes, whilst exterior walls resist the elements with long-lasting acrylics. Take advantage of paint innovations like quick-dry products, instant colour mixes, odour-free paints and the like.

If you have chemical allergies, take advantage of the newer types of paint that are coming out, which have less volatile compounds and more organically-based mediums.

As much as your decorating budget allows it, buy up the best tools for your decorating project. Otherwise, see if your neighbours or friends have some quality tools stashed away after their own home paint projects and wash them afterwards.

Good paint brushes and rollers make the job of applying paint on a wall go faster. A good brush will be easy to wield, transfers paint to a surface efficiently and has a brush proportion that allows better control over your application.



Even with the need for good paint brushes, you can scrimp on some areas to do painting around the house on a budget. Canvas drop sheets are great at keeping paints from reaching floors, fixtures and furniture, but old newspapers or worn bed sheets will do as well.

Colours are the most vital decision you'll need to take on a painting project. Go for greens, blues and nature-inspired neutrals if you want to go with the popular trends for houses. Exteriors painted in lighter shades look great for a longer time before needing retouches. Metallic paint patterns can provide the accent that's missing in a dark-walled or enclosed room.

To work out the painting supplies you'll need to cover a wall, take out a tape measure and start converting numbers. A wall 4m by 4m will have a coverage area of 16 metres. Multiply by the number of coats you'll need, and you'll have the total coverage figure. Most acrylic paints can cover 14 to 16 square metres to the litre (but check with the paint manufacturer for exact quantities), so you're going to need at least 2 litres if you're doing a double-coat on your wall.

Painting tips: an overview

Prime your surfaces for proper painting: good priming means a dirt-free and stable surface where paint can adhere to. Things to look out for include handprints, dirty finger smudges, fingerprints, dust, nails embedded on flat surfaces, staple wire and scuff marks.

Always use the correct tools: for latex paint, use synthetic brushes for constant shape and stiffness, and fabric rollers when using water-based paints. Sand glossy spots of old paint so the new paint can stick on.

Consider now a paint colour can change due to dust accumulation, sun and rain exposure. Rainfall in nearly all places has dissolved acids and other pollutants that erode paint over time.

Paints come with different sheens, and the more durable ones are bright and shiny. Satin or low lustre finishes are great for adding fuzzy touches to personal-use areas. High sheen paint may be used for walls in high-traffic areas to increase brightness and add a clean, finished look. They can also be used on ceilings to maximise indirect lighting.

Painting tips: Recessed Ceilings Lift You Up

Raise oppresive ceilings and freshen up your home wth recessed ceilings! Here's what you'll need to create a recessed ceiling effect:

Get these tools: paints in three complementary colours, of three shades for each colour; a chalk line, painting tape, roller and a thin paint brush. Experiment by painting one corner on a wooden panel or cardboard, using one of your three main colours. Choose a light and dark shade pair for each colour.

On your sample, choose two edges that meet each other. Imagine they're one of the corners of your ceiling. Starting from the edge, measure and tape off three five-inch stripes, one inch apart. Each of the strips will be shaped like an L.

Fill in each strip with one of the main colours you've already chose for this project.

Along one of the L's legs, paint a darker shade of the colours in between the larger strips, creating a shadow effect.

On the other side of the L, fill in the gaps with the corresponding lighter shades. The darker side is to be the imagined light source, and the lighter shades create the illusion of light flowing away. Both one-inch strips should meet in a diagonal.

If you like what you see, get started on your ceiling and be guided by the actual side source in your room, such as a window, for strip colour placing. You'll find the ceiling visibly higher, simply using the power of paint!

Painting tips: Playing with Patterns

Plaids, ginghams and tiles patterns can bring life to a dull room. Here's how to give your walls a quick paint make-over:

First, choose a pattern for your walls. Get inspired by tablecloth, swatches, artwork, or objects around the house to create interesting shapes in appealing combinations.

Keep it simple: stay with straight lines to create layers, use a level to ensure edges are parallel to the floor and make liberal use of tape, both to mark off unpainted edges and to create strips that reveal the wall's underlying paint colours.

When painting walls, start with the horizontal lines first. Do one side first before the next so that any retouching done to your pattern in progress will affect only the wall you're working on.

If you're going for an overlapping effect, use glazeto dilute your paint. For strips of different widths, use rollers of different sizes. For a fabric texture on the wall, run a stiff brush with steel bristles over wet paint.

Plaid patterns alternate thick and thin strips, both vertical and horizontal. Gingham patterms have evenly-spaced strips in two contrasting shades. A dark to light shade progression from the top to the bottom of the room will open up claustrophobic spaces. Painting diagonal lattices over kitchen tiles will give your kitchen a unified look.