You can hire professional interior painters to refresh a home or work space, or you can do it yourself.

Either way, the first step is to choose a color. It is easier said than done with all of the pallets and finishes out there. What looks good on a tiny chip may not look good when carried out in an entire room.

Colors in the home or workplace play an important role in complementing the purpose and ambiance of a room. Certain shades of blue, for instance, can be used to create a calming and peaceful environment. Darker color shades applied to the walls or ceiling can make a small room appear to be even smaller and make a dark room that gets very little natural lighting appear to be even darker.

Also consider how certain colors will appear when they are applied in either matte or glossy finishes. Consideration must also be given to the location of the room and how the color you choose will look with those used in any visible adjoining rooms.

Once you have decided on the perfect color, the next step is to prepare the room. Here is a short list of the supplies that you will need to proceed:

• Screwdriver

• Painter’s Tape

• Paint Scraper

• Drop Cloths or Plastic Tarps

• Spackling Compound

• Putty Knife

• Kitchen or Chemical Gloves

• Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) – to clean the walls

• Bucket

• Sponge or Cleaning Rags

Depending upon the size of the space being painted, you may choose to remove all of the furnishings or simply slide them into the center of the room and cover them with a tarp or painter’s cloth. Take all of the artwork, pictures and bric-a-brac down from the walls and carefully remove any of the nails, screws or mounting hardware. After that, use a bit of spackle to fill in the holes that were left behind, let it dry and then use a bit of sandpaper to blend and smooth the spots.

Inspect the walls, base boards and trim work and scrape any cracked, peeling or blistered paint away being sure to sand and smooth out any of the rough spots. Next, flip the circuit breaker switch that controls the electricity source of the room, and then remove all of the light switch covers and plug socket plates and cover the flip switches and socket faces with tape.

Clean your walls thoroughly with the TSP solution then empty the bucket and fill it with fresh water to rinse. Be sure to use just enough solution and rinsing water to clean the surface of your walls without saturating them. Allow the walls to dry thoroughly, and then apply painter’s tape to the trim, doorframes and baseboards. Make sure to press the adhesive into place to ensure a strong seal.

You can always hire professional painters if you feel this is a job that is too big for you – many people do, and find it an affordable solution when you consider the investment of time and materials in a do-it-yourself painting project.