So you’ve decided to start painting a room. Whether it’s because the winter doldrums have made you antsy or a room is just in dire need of a redo, donning your oldest clothes and unsheathing the paintbrush is necessary from time to time.

But doing it properly is another thing. Novice painters will tend to skirt steps just to get it done faster. Some forget to make sure protective layers are in place throughout the room. Point being, these things will happen.

Rather than permanently stain your hardwood or mistakenly paint over wallpaper, here are a few general tips for painters to brush off the beginner label.

1. Go Overboard With Protection: The last thing you need to happen when painting a room is to have your hardwood/carpeted floors looking like Andy Warhol was there. That being paint splatters or accidental spills from the bucket. Always lay down enough tarps to cover the corners of your floor boards. Put out some for the middle of the room should you be painting the ceiling, and buy paint tape for the edges around windows, doorknobs or any other surface you don’t want tainted.
2. Primer: One of the many tips I’ve seen people skip (why they do is beyond me). Primer is integral because it makes your paint coats look bolder, seals up porous areas along the wall, increases the paint’s structure and effectively maintains the adhesive qualities of your paint to the wall.
3. Know How Many Coats You Need: If you plan on using a lighter shade of paint, say canary yellow, salmon or egg shell white, you might want to think about going with two coats instead of one. Reason for this is because a lot of the time, the paint tone will fade after it settles in to the wall. Whatever the color was as soon as you’ve finished, won’t be the exact same, bright tone a few days after. So, if you’re not applying deep, dark tones, it might be in your best interest to apply two coats.
4. Be Mindful of The Temperatures: If you’re painting indoors, try and set the room between 50-65 degrees Fahrenheit. Increased humidity won’t outright ruin freshly laid coats, but it might open the door for paint to drip or slide down the wall more easily. And if you’re outdoors, spring and early fall tends to be the most optimal time to paint because the heat index either hasn’t begun or is falling off. Not to say you can’t paint in the summer, it’s just you’d be best to paint the most shaded areas of each day so the paint can dry at a natural pace.

And that’s just the beginning of what a first-time painter has in store. Hopefully with enough commitment, your remodeling visions could soon blossom into painting more and refining other areas throughout the home.