A fresh coat of paint is a fast and easy way to inject new life into your home. Todd Greenwood of Greenwood Painting in Mississauga, ON offers the following tips to ensure professional results:

1 Remove furnishings or push to centre of room; cover with drop cloths.

2 Place drop cloths on floor; if plastic, tape down.

3 Turn off electricity. Remove switch plates, outlet covers, chandelier ceiling plates and drapery hardware.

4 Wash walls with detergent or TSP if dirty; let dry.

5 Fill holes or cracks with Spackle; let dry and sand.

6 Lightly sand walls; thoroughly sand trim and semigloss surfaces. Wipe with damp lint-free cloth.

7 Paint ceiling. Tape off joint between ceiling and crown moulding or wall, if desired. Using 2½-inch angled brush, cut-in two- to three-inch-wide band along ceiling edges. Using roller, apply paint in overlapping W's, blending with cut-in areas. Apply two coats; let dry between coats.

8 Paint crown moulding with a two- to three-inch angled brush.

9 Paint one wall at a time. Tape off ceiling and trim; cut-in where wall meets crown moulding or ceiling, windows, doors, baseboards and corners. Apply two coats of paint, or one coat of primer and one or two coats of paint.

10 Paint doors, windowsills and trim from top down, using two- to three-inch angled brush. Use one-inch sash brush for window muntins.

Tip: Always remove masking tape while paint is still damp to avoid peeling off any paint.