Believe it or not, many people do no planning

First, be sure to choose good equipment. Resist the temptation to save money, and buy with quality in mind. The time to learn you chose wrong should not be when you are in cramped quarters trying to paint near that tricky coat rack.

If you will be painting a fairly large area, you will want to buy a roller. Do not buy the cheapest roller, thinking you will just discard it later. You will likely find it does not hold enough paint or sheds fibers onto your painting surface, making a mess of things.

Most new painters do not know how to put paint onto their brush correctly. The best way is to dip the brush a couple of inches into the paint, tapping it softly on the side of the can. This removes excess paint and gets more paint into the brush. Paint carefully but quickly. This gets the paint off the brush, onto your painting surface, with less chance of getting onto you or the floor.

Be sure to keep the brush moving once you lift it from the can. If you stop, you will only end up with the paint dripping or running. You will get the hang of it quickly.

When painting with the roller, be sure to load it correctly. Dip it into your tray and roll it so that the paint covers it evenly. Allow it to sit in the paint for a few seconds to absorb the paint. Just because you are seeing paint on the outside does not mean it has penetrated all the way through the roller.

A roller usually works best in tandem with a regular brush. The roller will not normally reach all the way to the edge, so the brush is for hitting those tight spots that the roller cannot reach.

Before painting around that coat rack, you will obviously want to remove any clothes hanging there. If possible, remove the coat rack itself. You will have more room and have less chance of making a mistake. Be sure to give the paint several hours to dry before replacing the clothes. It may look dry, but you do not want to get dressed for work, only to discover you are now the proud owner of a polka dot suit!