Where can I find tips and advice on getting a professional finish to my painting?

I need to paint a few rooms in my house, but want it to look professionally done; what should I do to get good crisp edges and well-painted walls?Where can I find tips and advice on getting a professional finish to my painting?
Painting and Decorating is a fully skilled trade, unlike bricklaying or plastering for example which are semi-skilled. It used to be a six year apprenticeship, now three - so I am not really going to turn you into a professional on one post. But I can tell you a couple of things.





Most people do a bit here and do a bit there and end up with half done bits everywhere. Painting is best done methodically.





Empty as much as you can out of the room and put the bed or the rest in the centre leaving access to be able to paint around light fittings. Cover everything with thin polythene sheets you can buy from DIY stores. But don't put polythene on the floor it is too slippy. Use cloth dust sheets on the floor. Buy a two inch roll of masking tape and mask the edge where the carpet meets the skirting board.





Do all your sanding first. Then all your filling (Toupret filler is the best, Tetrion is acceptable). Finish all sanding and rubbing down before looking at a tin of paint.





Paint the ceiling first, usually two coats of Dulux Vinyl matt emulsion will be enough.





Spot primer any bare bits of wood and then undercoat all the woodwork. This leaves you to do either one gloss coat or two satin coats. If Satin finish you might want two coats, in which case put the first of those two coats on now. Ideally, use oil-based paint, Dulux and Dulux Satinwood or Sikkens Onol and Sikkens Satura.





Painting the ceilings and woodwork up to this stage is interchangable - you can do a coat on the ceiling, then a coat on the woodwork, then second coat on ceiling etc.





Now you paint two coats of emulsion on the walls, more if your unlucky.





Your final job is the final coat on the woodwork.





On ceilings and walls cut in the edges and around fittings with a brush and fill in with a 9 inch roller. When you are cutting in with a brush carry a 4 inch foam mini-roller in your other hand. Don't ever dip this roller into the paint, but use it to flatten your brushwork as you go. This removes brushmarks, evens out the pigment and leaves a seamless join when you fill in with your 9 inch roller.





When you cut in with a brush and are cutting in the walls and trying to paint a nice straight line against the newly white ceiling, use a synthetic bristled brush, put some slightly overthinned emulsion in a separate container as it will move better, don't put a loaded brush straight up to the line you want and try to cut it first time. Stroke the paintoff the brush an inch or so away from the final cut you want and then with further strokes move closer and closer. With practice you'll do it in two or three strokes. Lighter colours do not stand out so much against the white ceiling, e.g. if you painted dark walls your attempted straight cutting in against the white ceiling will show every imperfection.





Buy a 1'; and 2'; natural bristle brush for your oil based wood work paints. As soon as you apply paint it start to dry and thereore thicken, so don't keep going back over your work. Do a bit, get it right and move on. Don't relentlessly overbrush. Get it on, even it ou with the minimum of strokes and lay it off. Lay it off is your final brush strokes, all nice and neat and in one direction - don't stub the brush into a painted areas to lay it off, but hold the brush on an unpainted area and draw the brush onto the paint and then gently lift away.





If you want a good finish t your emuslion then don't put it on too thick. The more you stretch it out , the thinner the finish - but you may need an extra coat.


good luckWhere can I find tips and advice on getting a professional finish to my painting?
My dad owns a painting company and has been in business for 20 years! To really make it look professional you need a professional. But to come close heres what I can say... First use drywall mud found at your local paint store we use sherwin williams, and patch all holes. Then sand all walls pretty smooth, brush off excess dust. sand all wood, trim, door jams, edges good. Sand ceiling. Cut ceiling and wall in 2 times. Prime 1 time 1 or 2 coats paint you decide. Then cut EVERYTHING 1 prime 1 or 2 paint. wall corners, around base board, any small spaces, and around doors, if your not that good at cutting use blue painters tape and mask, don't apply real heavy on tape line. Then let dry. Then Roll primer on walls, you can do this a little sloppy and thick just don't get clumps or lines. let dry and apply paint coat same way, dry paint and done! Be sure to use drops or plastic rolling for the first time can be messy! Most people don't paint base boards leave them wood but f you do then paint all trim base boards etc first and be very careful not to get paint on them. if you do have a wet rag hand and wipe it off asap! Hope this helps!
i agree with above answers mostly, but definitely cut in trim BEFORE you roll, not the other way around. this will less the amount of ';brush marks'; visible when your painting is complete.your roller will give a nicer finish than brushing, so getting as close to the trim as possible will overlap and cover much of the brush marks.
I agree with GER C, another tip is don't buy cheap brushes. Decent brushes ,make it easier to cut in and they wont leave hairs everywhere. Also do the walls first, then do the doors etc. If you are not confident about cutting in, use low tack masking tape, if that is not available use ordinary masking tape, but rub it back an forth along your trousers to make it less tacky.
Its all in the prep work, sand the surfaces for a smooth finish and take your time cutting in.
Best let your partner do it.