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How to paint a complete room

Sequence for painting a room is from top to bottom: Ceiling first, then walls, then windows, doors and finally baseboards. Great interior painting is as easy as one-two-three. There are many reasons why interior painting is the nation's most popular home improvement project.

Painting can quickly and dramatically transform the appearance of a room, an apartment or an entire home; it's personally rewarding; it's inexpensive; and it's fun.

Rule number one: Prepare the surface properly

• Good paint performance depends on good paint adhesion, and paint adheres best to surfaces that are clean and sound. Before picking up a brush or roller, it's important to make sure the surface is "inviting" to the paint.

• Accumulated dirt, dust and grime should be removed from walls, ceilings and trim with a detergent-water solution. After washing, the surfaces should be thoroughly rinsed with water and allowed to dry completely.

• Next, a putty knife should be used to fill cracks, holes and other surface imperfections with either spackling compound or a quality acrylic caulk. If spackling is used, after it is dry it should be sanded smooth and flush with the surface; caulk should be smoothed and feathered as it is applied.

• Finally, if walls or ceilings have water stains or other serious discol-oration, then before painting, it may be necessary to coat them with a latex or oil-based stain-blocking primer to prevent the stains from bleeding