So, the house is getting a little dingy, and you want to liven it up, with a new coat of interior paint. Here are some handy tips and how-tos.

First, look into what you intend to do with the renovation. You’re converting sweat equity into dollars and cents in your home, and you’ll want it to look nice. There are plenty of interesting techniques for painting interesting patterns on the walls, from sponges and distressed acid baths to carving balik stamps and creating regular patterns that way.

Choose your colors to suit the room and its intended function when you’re done; for example, pick colors that match the window treatments, or the furniture that will go into the room. Similarly, any trim you have should be taken into consideration for matching paint jobs as well. In general, lighter colors tend to promote activity and awareness, making them good accents for a nursery; darker colors recede from view. Darker colors will make a room seem a little larger, due to an optical illusion. Large expanses of color will seem darker than smaller areas, so beware of dark colors on large walls.

Look at the lighting that’s coming in – if you have a south or southwestern facing window in this room, the amount of light it gets throughout the day will vary; you’ll want to make sure that whatever color you choose won’t be too dark in the mornings or afternoons.

On to the job itself.

First, empty the room to be painted, just like you see on Bob Villa. Put drop clothes over the floor, and put masking tape over the window sills, edging it with a putty knife to make sure you’ve got a clean line to work from.

Next, scrub the walls down as thoroughly as you can; if the surface isn’t clean, the paint won’t last as long. Look for cracks and nail holes and seal them with plaster and spackling paste, sanding them down so they’re smooth. Be sure to remove all light switch and electrical outlet covers – cover the screw joists with tape so that you don’t clog them up with drying paint.

Third, make sure you buy all the paint in one batch; a typical can of paint is good for a given number of square feet of wall space; give the dimensions of the room you’re painting to the local paint store and they’ll give you an estimate for how much paint to get – hold on to some of the excess in case you ever have to touch up the room.