While it can be tempting to get painting as soon as possible when you want to decorate a room, it’s worth taking the time to make sure your room and surfaces are best prepared before you begin. Getting the preparation right is crucial to achieving the perfect finish. It’ll also help to keep things neater and cleaner, and reduce the need for additional coats of paint. No paint can completely cover dirty or uneven surfaces, so tackling this at the start of the project avoids the need for extra work later on.

In this guide we’ll walk you through the most important steps to take, and show you how to;

• Empty your room ready for decorating, and protect fixtures and fittings you aren't painting
• Clean your walls to help paint adhere
• Fill holes and cracks and smooth your walls for the best possible finish
• Prime stained surfaces or those which have not been painted before

Once you've completed these tasks you should have a smooth, even surface ready to be painted.

If you're painting on bare wood, plaster or metal surfaces, you'll get a better result if you use a primer first. It provides a surface which the paint can bond to and stops the paint being absorbed. Find out more what you need and for what surface.