Properly preparing a room for painting allows for faster painting, easy clean up and a more professional look in the end. Follow these steps for the best results.

First, empty the room out as much as possible. Take out large furniture and make sure nothing can obstruct the preparation and painting process. Heavy objects can be moved a few feet away from the wall or moved to the center of the room.

Second, clear the walls and ceiling of decorations such as paintings and posters. Also remove nails, tacks, tape and other kinds of hangers. Patch the holes if they are not needed later with light weight spackle.

Step three is to make sure that every inch of the floor and what ever you do not wish to paint is completely covered. This will help with avoiding getting paint in places you don’t want it. Paint can be sneaky and get to places you could not imagine. Make sure everything is securely covered to avoid messes later. Cover floors with drop clothes and furniture with plastic.

Step four is making sure all the walls are clean before painting. If walls are excessively dirty, paint will not stick as well and it can cause the paint to look messy. Try using a mild house hold cleaner for moderate cleaning or trisodium phosphate for heavy grease deposits. When cleaning entire walls is necessary use a sponge mop to make the work easier and faster. Rinse well with fresh water and allow to dry.

Step five is removing any and all electrical covers and light fixtures. Reinsert the screws so they won’t become lost and they are easier to find later. If the light fixtures are not removed they should be wrapped with tape and paper in order to be protected from paint splatter and make cutting-in easier.

Now you need to protect all windowsills, trim and doors from excess paint. You can do this with blue painter’s tape, which is especially good if you are leaving the tape on for more than one day. You can also use masking paper or plastic. More you do to protect these areas in which you do not wish to paint, the less time you will spent for the clean up.

The next step is repairing cracks or holes in the walls and ceiling. Most small repairs are easily accomplished by the do-it yourself home owner. All repairs need to be done before the painting can begin. Check non-textured walls for excessive roughness and lightly sand if necessary.

Now that everything is properly covered and the repairs are finished apply a stain blocking primer the repaired areas. Any stains, such as water stains or permanent markers, can be primed with the same primer. Allow the primer to dry before you apply any finish paint.

Remember that at least 50% of the work involved with interior house painting is in the preparation of each room.