Putting on a fresh coat of paint is one of the simplest and most effective ways to transform the look of your home. Whether you paint one room or the whole house, you can lighten, brighten and beautify your living space for little more than the cost of a couple gallons of paint and a few brushes and rollers.

Although painting seems fast and easy, however, it is not a foolproof home improvement project. Many homeowners make some common mistakes, and those blunders can make the results anything but satisfactory. Here are five common painting mistakes and how you can avoid them.

Not adequately cleaning the surface

The lack of surface preparation is a big blunder for first-time painters, and one of the easiest to avoid. Before you pick up a single brush or crack open a paint can, make sure the surface is clean and well prepared. It does not matter how high quality the paint is or how much you paid for it if the surface is not clean, the result will not be good.

Failing to prime the surface

Many modern paint formulations claim that you do not need primer, but not using it is still a big mistake. Priming the surface gets it ready for painting, and even primer-free paint will benefit from this kind of careful preparation.

Forgetting to cover your belongings

When you look around the room, you can pick out those big pieces pretty easily, things like furniture and home decor pieces. But what about the smaller items? It is easy to forget these simple things when painting, so do yourself a favor and give the area a once-over before you pick up your brush.

Not allowing adequate drying time

If you are laying down more than one coat of paint, you will want to leave plenty of time between coats. Many first-time painters are in a hurry, and they fail to allow the first coat of paint to dry completely. It pays to have patience when painting, so sit back, relax and wait for the wall to dry.

Choosing the wrong color

It is easy to pick the wrong color when repainting a room, as the paint may not look the same on your wall as it did at the hardware store. If you are unsure of the shade, paint a small area first and make sure the color matches your expectations.

If you want to give your old rooms new life, all you need is a paint brush and a couple of rollers. If you want the results to be as good as you had hoped, you need to avoid the blunders other homeowners have committed. For more information, contact a professional painter.