Painting can liven up old or boring rooms in a flash. But doing a good job isn’t as easy as opening the paint can and slapping the paint on the walls.

Every good adventure starts out with a good plan. Before you even buy your first paint brush, sit down and make a list of things you will need. Here are a few things for your to consider: paint brushes, rollers, primer, paint, drop sheets, masking tape, paint tray, sand paper, rags, hammer, and tools to remove trims, baseboards, light switch housing and sockets.

Now that you’ve got all of your supplies, it’s best to empty the room your painting in or clear a lot of space in the area. This includes removing everything from the walls.

It might seem easier just to paint around things, but even professional painters have drippings. It’s a good idea to remove wall socket covers and light switch covers, and store them in a plastic bag until you’re finished and the paint has dried. And this is a great time to clean them.

Even if you take your time, you are bound to get paint on you and your clothing. You should wear old clothes and some sort of hat or shower cap to protect your hair.

If your walls have cracks, holes, or uneven surfaces, don’t paint over it thinking that it will disappear. Take the time to fix it before hand. If it doesn’t look good before you paint, it will look 20 times worse after you’ve painted.

After you have finished painting, let the paint dry before cleaning up. This will help prevent any accidents. It is also a good idea to put the switch and wall socket covers back after the paint has dried.

As you can see, painting isn’t the cleanest of jobs, but there is a lot you can do to prevent a larger mess.

If your going to be painting, you should check out another great safety item, the paint respirator.