Having bought the paint, it’s merely a matter of putting it on the wall, right? Well, there’s the minor matter of what method you use to apply it. These days, everyone uses a roller and it’s quick, I have to admit. But you’re going to have to buy some brushes to cut in around the fiddly bits anyway so, if you have the time, it’s worth considering doing the whole wall with a brush. In some situations (where it’s important to avoid paint spots flying onto other areas, for instance), a brush is the best solution.

When buying a brush, quality is important. Go for the best you can afford and avoid those awful things with plastic bristles. Again, this will be a saving in the long run because it’s more likely that you will clean the brush after the job if you’ve paid more for it. Cleaning is what turns a tool into a friend rather than something to swear at. Any brush will get better with use and, if you’re the type who buys cheap and throws away after one use, you will never discover the joys of using an old brush that has learned to work with you. Carry on picking out the bristles that a new brush sheds if you really couldn’t be bothered with cleaning properly.

Buy a bigger brush than you think you will need. Those silly little things that people use to cut around edges are just time-wasters. They encourage you to get too picky about details and, before you’ve finished, you’re exhausted. A bigger brush will give you confidence once you’ve found out how easy it is to use and the job will be finished in short order.

If you’ve decided to paint the whole wall with a brush (that’s the spirit!), pick the largest brush you can find. Don’t worry if it seems too unwieldy for you - that’s because you’re holding it incorrectly. Grab the body of the brush just above the bristles with that handle thing sticking out between your fingers and thumb and pointing back at you. If you hold it by the handle, you’ll start making great sweeps with your arm and that will give you a lousy finish, apart from tiring you out. The idea is to use a wrist action, spreading the paint out evenly from where you start. This also makes it easy to brush in many directions, thereby ensuring that you avoid that streaked appearance that the roller was invented to cure. Spread the paint out in all directions from a central spot and your finish will be as good or better than a roller’s.

Okay, now I’ve got you painting, I’ll leave you to it until a later post. Keep that wrist action going and you’ll be able to stay at the job as long as it takes. And your finish will be so good that you’ll want to point it out to visitors!